Nadia wants to buy coffee when she chooses. A recurring delivery at Majid’s shop forces them to examine whose time the current arrangement protects.
01Read the Arabic story
شَاحِنَةُ التَّوْصِيلِ الَّتِي تَسُدُّ الْمُنْحَدَرَ
وَصَلَتْ نَادِيَةُ إِلَى مَتْجَرِ مَاجِدٍ لِتَشْتَرِيَ قَهْوَةً، فَوَجَدَتْ شَاحِنَةَ التَّوْصِيلِ تَسُدُّ الْمُنْحَدَرَ أَمَامَ الْمَدْخَلِ. كَانَتْ تَسْتَخْدِمُ كُرْسِيًّا مُتَحَرِّكًا، وَلَمْ تَكُنْ هَذِهِ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ تَنْتَظِرُ فِيهَا خَارِجًا. نَادَاهَا مَاجِدٌ مُعْتَذِرًا: «دَقِيقَتَانِ فَقَطْ». أَجَابَتْ: «قُلْتَ ذَلِكَ أَمْسِ أَيْضًا. أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَدْخُلَ حِينَمَا أَصِلُ، مِثْلَ بَقِيَّةِ الزَّبَائِنِ».
أَخْرَجَ السَّائِقُ الشَّاحِنَةَ مِنْ أَمَامِ الْمُنْحَدَرِ، وَدَخَلَتْ نَادِيَةُ. شَرَحَ مَاجِدٌ أَنَّ السَّائِقَ يُسَلِّمُ طَلَبَاتٍ كَثِيرَةً قَبْلَ الظُّهْرِ، وَأَنَّ نَقْلَ الصَّنَادِيقِ مِنْ بَعِيدٍ يَسْتَغْرِقُ وَقْتًا. اقْتَرَحَ أَنْ تَأْتِيَ بَعْدَ التَّسْلِيمِ، لَكِنَّهَا سَأَلَتْهُ كَيْفَ تَعْرِفُ مَوْعِدَهُ الْمُتَغَيِّرَ. ثُمَّ أَضَافَتْ: «حَتَّى لَوْ عَرَفْتُهُ، لَيْسَ مِنَ الْمَعْقُولِ أَنْ أُرَتِّبَ يَوْمِي حَوْلَ شَاحِنَتِكَ».
تَوَقَّفَ مَاجِدٌ عَنِ الدِّفَاعِ عَنِ الدَّقِيقَتَيْنِ. أَشَارَتْ نَادِيَةُ إِلَى مَكَانِ التَّفْرِيغِ عِنْدَ طَرَفِ الشَّارِعِ، وَقَالَتْ إِنَّ الْمَمَرَّ مِنْهُ إِلَى الْمَتْجَرِ وَاسِعٌ. اتَّصَلَ مَاجِدٌ بِشَرِكَةِ التَّوْصِيلِ، وَاتَّفَقَ مَعَهَا عَلَى اسْتِخْدَامِهِ. سَيَسْتَقْبِلُ مُسَاعِدُهُ الشَّاحِنَةَ هُنَاكَ، وَيَنْقُلُ الصَّنَادِيقَ بِعَرَبَةٍ صَغِيرَةٍ، دُونَ تَرْكِهَا فِي طَرِيقِ الْمَارَّةِ. لَمْ يُحِبَّ مَاجِدٌ تَكْلِفَةَ الْوَقْتِ الْإِضَافِيِّ فِي سَاعَاتِ الصَّبَاحِ.
فِي الْأُسْبُوعِ التَّالِي، وَصَلَ سَائِقٌ بَدِيلٌ لَمْ يَسْمَعْ بِالِاتِّفَاقِ. خَرَجَ الْمُسَاعِدُ وَدَلَّهُ عَلَى مَكَانِ التَّفْرِيغِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَقِفَ أَمَامَ الْمُنْحَدَرِ. أَدْرَكَ مَاجِدٌ أَنَّ الْمُكَالَمَةَ وَحْدَهَا لَا تَكْفِي، فَطَلَبَ إِضَافَةَ التَّعْلِيمَاتِ إِلَى أَوْرَاقِ كُلِّ طَلَبٍ. وَعِنْدَمَا شَكَا مُسَاعِدُهُ مِنْ تَرَاكُمِ الْعَمَلِ، غَيَّرَ مَاجِدٌ تَوْزِيعَ الْمَهَامِّ، وَتَوَلَّى تَرْتِيبَ الرُّفُوفِ بِنَفْسِهِ.
بَعْدَ أَيَّامٍ، دَخَلَتْ نَادِيَةُ وَالشَّاحِنَةُ مَا زَالَتْ عِنْدَ طَرَفِ الشَّارِعِ. سَأَلَهَا مَاجِدٌ عَنْ نَوْعِ الْقَهْوَةِ الَّذِي تُفَضِّلُهُ، وَكَادَ يَسْأَلُهَا إِنْ كَانَ النِّظَامُ يَعْمَلُ جَيِّدًا. ثُمَّ رَأَى أَنَّ مُسَاعِدَهُ يَنْقُلُ آخِرَ صُنْدُوقٍ وَيُغْلِقُ بَابَ الْمَخْزَنِ. اكْتَفَى بِسُؤَالِ الْقَهْوَةِ. اخْتَارَتْ نَادِيَةُ كِيسًا وَسَأَلَتْ عَنِ السِّعْرِ، بَيْنَمَا بَقِيَتْ قَائِمَةُ الْمَهَامِّ الْجَدِيدَةُ بِجَانِبِ صُنْدُوقِ النُّقُودِ.
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Nadia reached Majid’s shop to buy coffee and found the delivery van blocking the ramp at the entrance. She used a wheelchair, and this was not the first time she had waited outside. Majid called apologetically, “Just two minutes.” She replied, “You said that yesterday too. I want to come in when I arrive, like the other customers.”
The driver moved the van away from the ramp, and Nadia entered. Majid explained that the driver delivered many orders before noon and that moving boxes from farther away took time. He suggested that she come after the delivery, but she asked how she could know its changing time. Then she added, “Even if I knew, it is unreasonable to arrange my day around your van.”
Majid stopped defending the two minutes. Nadia pointed to the unloading area at the end of the street and said that the path from there to the shop was wide. Majid called the delivery company and agreed with it to use that area. His assistant would meet the van there and move the boxes on a small trolley without leaving them in the way of passers-by. Majid did not like the cost of the extra time during the morning.
The following week, a replacement driver arrived who had not heard about the arrangement. The assistant went out and directed him to the unloading area before he stopped in front of the ramp. Majid realised that a phone call alone was insufficient, so he asked for the instructions to be added to the paperwork for every order. When his assistant complained of accumulating work, Majid changed the allocation of tasks and took over arranging the shelves himself.
Days later, Nadia entered while the van was still at the end of the street. Majid asked what kind of coffee she preferred and almost asked whether the system was working well. Then he saw that his assistant was moving the last box and closing the storeroom door. He kept to the coffee question. Nadia chose a bag and asked the price, while the new task list remained beside the till.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| الْمُنْحَدَرَ | the ramp |
| كُرْسِيًّا مُتَحَرِّكًا | a wheelchair |
| مَوْعِدَهُ الْمُتَغَيِّرَ | its changing time |
| مِنَ الْمَعْقُولِ | reasonable |
| التَّفْرِيغِ | unloading |
| بِعَرَبَةٍ صَغِيرَةٍ | on a small trolley |
| الْمَارَّةِ | passers-by |
| سَائِقٌ بَدِيلٌ | a replacement driver |
| تَرَاكُمِ الْعَمَلِ | work piling up |
| تَوْزِيعَ الْمَهَامِّ | the allocation of tasks |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer per question. Use the Arabic text to distinguish facts, motives and supported inferences. Open the English support when needed.
What to remember
- A recurring two-minute obstruction shifts control over a visit away from the customer who needs the ramp.
- The shop’s solution requires written instructions and redistributed work; the final coffee exchange suggests a more ordinary welcome.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Lam in Arabic: How to Say “Did Not”
لَمْ يَسْمَعْ بِالِاتِّفَاقِ
See how lam denies that the replacement driver had heard about the agreement.
Lakinna and Lakin in Arabic: Two Patterns for But
لَكِنَّهَا سَأَلَتْهُ كَيْفَ تَعْرِفُ مَوْعِدَهُ الْمُتَغَيِّرَ
Follow lakinna with an attached pronoun as Nadia challenges the shopkeeper’s suggestion.
