An old customer asks a printer for an urgent favour. A second promise in the schedule forces the printer to confront the limits of gratitude, time and trust.
01Read the Arabic story
الْوَعْدُ وَرَاءَ الطَّلَبِ الْعَاجِلِ
دَخَلَ جَمَالٌ مَطْبَعَتِي قُبَيْلَ الْإِغْلَاقِ، وَطَلَبَ ثَلَاثَمِئَةِ مَطْوِيَّةٍ لِاحْتِفَالِ جَمْعِيَّتِهِ فِي الْيَوْمِ التَّالِي. كَانَ مِنْ أَوَائِلِ زَبَائِنِي، وَسَاعَدَنِي بِطَلَبَاتِهِ حِينَ كَانَ الْمَحَلُّ شِبْهَ فَارِغٍ. قَالَ إِنَّ الْمُصَمِّمَ تَأَخَّرَ فِي تَسْلِيمِ الْمِلَفِّ، وَإِنَّهُ يَعْتَمِدُ عَلَيَّ. وَعَدْتُهُ بِإِنْجَازِ الطَّلَبِ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَفْتَحَ دَفْتَرَ الْمَوَاعِيدِ.
فِي الدَّفْتَرِ، وَجَدْتُ وَعْدًا آخَرَ: مِئَةً وَخَمْسِينَ نُسْخَةً مِنْ مَجَلَّةِ الْمَدْرَسَةِ، تُسَلَّمُ صَبَاحًا. كَانَتْ صَفَحَاتُهَا جَاهِزَةً، لَكِنَّ طِبَاعَتَهَا وَتَجْلِيدَهَا يَحْتَاجَانِ إِلَى مُعْظَمِ بَقِيَّةِ اللَّيْلَةِ. وَكُنْتُ أَعْمَلُ وَحْدِي. أَمَّا مَطْوِيَّاتُهُ فَتَحْتَاجُ إِلَى قَصٍّ وَطَيٍّ يَدَوِيٍّ، لَا إِلَى الطِّبَاعَةِ وَحْدَهَا. فَكَّرْتُ فِي طَلَبِ يَوْمٍ إِضَافِيٍّ مِنَ الْمَدْرَسَةِ؛ فَأُجْرَةُ جَمَالٍ أَعْلَى، وَعَلَاقَتُنَا أَقْدَمُ. ثُمَّ تَذَكَّرْتُ أَنَّ الطُّلَّابَ سَيَعْرِضُونَ الْمَجَلَّةَ أَمَامَ أُسَرِهِمْ فِي الصَّبَاحِ.
اتَّصَلْتُ بِجَمَالٍ وَشَرَحْتُ أَنَّنِي قَبِلْتُ طَلَبَهُ بِدُونِ مُرَاجَعَةِ الْقُدْرَةِ الْمُتَاحَةِ. سَكَتَ قَلِيلًا، ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّهُ أَبْلَغَ الْجَمْعِيَّةَ بِمُوَافَقَتِي بِالْفِعْلِ. اقْتَرَحْتُ طِبَاعَةَ مِئَةِ مَطْوِيَّةٍ عِنْدِي، وَإِرْسَالَ الْبَاقِي إِلَى مَطْبَعَةٍ أُخْرَى عَلَى نَفَقَتِي. كَانَ الْحَلُّ سَيُقَلِّلُ رِبْحِي، وَقَدْ تَخْتَلِفُ الْأَلْوَانُ قَلِيلًا بَيْنَ الْمَجْمُوعَتَيْنِ. لَمْ أَطْلُبْ مِنْهُ دَفْعَ الْفَرْقِ، لِأَنَّ التَّسَرُّعَ كَانَ مِنِّي وَلَيْسَ مِنْهُ.
طَلَبَ جَمَالٌ رُؤْيَةَ عَيِّنَةٍ مِنْ كُلِّ مَطْبَعَةٍ قَبْلَ الْمُوَافَقَةِ. أَرْسَلْتُ إِلَيْهِ صُورَتَيْنِ، وَشَرَحْتُ الْفَرْقَ فِي دَرَجَةِ الْأَزْرَقِ. قَبِلَ التَّرْتِيبَ لِأَنَّ بَدِيلَهُ كَانَ تَقْلِيلَ عَدَدِ النُّسَخِ. ثُمَّ أَضَافَ: «أَرْسِلْ لِي الْكَمِّيَّاتِ وَمَوْعِدَ التَّسْلِيمِ كِتَابَةً». كُنَّا نَكْتَفِي بِمُكَالَمَةٍ قَصِيرَةٍ فِي طَلَبَاتِنَا السَّابِقَةِ.
سَلَّمْتُ مَجَلَّاتِ الْمَدْرَسَةِ فِي مَوْعِدِهَا، وَوَصَلَتِ الْمَطْوِيَّاتُ إِلَى الْجَمْعِيَّةِ قَبْلَ الِاحْتِفَالِ. دَفَعَ جَمَالٌ الْحِسَابَ وَشَكَرَنِي، لَكِنَّهُ قَارَنَ الْكَمِّيَّاتِ بِالرِّسَالَةِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَحْمِلَ الصُّنْدُوقَيْنِ. عُدْتُ إِلَى الدَّفْتَرِ وَأَضَفْتُ خَانَةً لِسَاعَاتِ الْعَمَلِ الْمَطْلُوبَةِ. لَمْ يَعُدْ حِسَابُ الرِّبْحِ وَحْدَهُ يَكْفِي، وَظَلَلْتُ أَتَسَاءَلُ عَمَّا إِذَا كَانَتْ مُكَالَمَتُنَا الْقَادِمَةُ سَتَكُونُ بِسُهُولَةِ سَابِقَاتِهَا.
Show English translationHide English translation
Jamal entered my print shop shortly before closing and asked for three hundred leaflets for his association’s celebration the following day. He had been one of my first customers, and his orders had helped me when the shop was almost empty. He said the designer had delivered the file late and that he was relying on me. I promised to complete the order before opening my schedule book.
In the book, I found another promise: a hundred and fifty copies of the school magazine, to be delivered in the morning. Its pages were ready, but printing and binding them would take most of the remaining night. I was working alone. His leaflets also needed manual cutting and folding, not just printing. I considered asking the school for another day; Jamal’s payment was higher, and our relationship was older. Then I remembered that the students would present the magazine to their families that morning.
I called Jamal and explained that I had accepted his order without checking my available capacity. He fell silent briefly, then said he had already told the association that I had agreed. I proposed printing a hundred leaflets myself and sending the rest to another print shop at my expense. This solution would reduce my profit, and the colours might differ slightly between the two batches. I did not ask him to pay the difference, because I was the one who had acted hastily.
Jamal asked to see a sample from each print shop before agreeing. I sent him two photographs and explained the difference in the shade of blue. He accepted the arrangement because his alternative was to reduce the number of copies. Then he added, “Send me the quantities and delivery time in writing.” We had been content with a brief phone call for our previous orders.
I delivered the school magazines on time, and the leaflets reached the association before the celebration. Jamal paid the bill and thanked me, but he checked the quantities against the message before carrying away the two boxes. I returned to the book and added a column for the working hours required. Calculating profit alone was no longer enough, and I kept wondering whether our next phone call would be as easy as the previous ones.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| قُبَيْلَ الْإِغْلَاقِ | shortly before closing |
| أَوَائِلِ زَبَائِنِي | my first customers |
| دَفْتَرَ الْمَوَاعِيدِ | the schedule book |
| وَتَجْلِيدَهَا | and binding it |
| الْقُدْرَةِ الْمُتَاحَةِ | available capacity |
| عَلَى نَفَقَتِي | at my expense |
| التَّسَرُّعَ | acting hastily |
| عَيِّنَةٍ | a sample |
| دَرَجَةِ الْأَزْرَقِ | the shade of blue |
| خَانَةً | a column; a space for an entry |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Look back at the Arabic story when you need a clue. Open the English support if you need help understanding a question.
What to remember
- A promise to a longstanding customer carries an unseen cost when the schedule already contains another commitment.
- Meeting both deadlines repairs delivery, while written checks suggest that easy trust needs longer to recover.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Because in Arabic: Give a Reason with Lianna
لِأَنَّ التَّسَرُّعَ كَانَ مِنِّي وَلَيْسَ مِنْهُ
Connect the printer’s willingness to absorb the extra cost with his stated responsibility for accepting too quickly.
Lakinna and Lakin in Arabic: Two Patterns for But
لَكِنَّهُ قَارَنَ الْكَمِّيَّاتِ بِالرِّسَالَةِ
Read the contrast between Jamal’s polite thanks and his more careful checking.
