An empty-room photograph invites old neighbours to remember. One quiet member reveals what that invitation makes difficult to say.
01Read the Arabic story
مَجْمُوعَةُ الْمُحَادَثَةِ بَعْدَ رَحِيلِ الْجَمِيعِ
بَعْدَ أَنْ غَادَرَ آخِرُنَا الْبِنَايَةَ، بَقِيَتْ مَجْمُوعَةُ الْمُحَادَثَةِ تَحْمِلُ اسْمَ شَارِعِنَا الْقَدِيمِ. أَرْسَلْتُ صُورَةَ غُرْفَتِي الْفَارِغَةِ؛ عَلَى الْجِدَارِ مُسْتَطِيلٌ شَاحِبٌ فِي مَوْضِعِ التَّقْوِيمِ. كَتَبْتُ: مَنْ يَشْتَاقُ إِلَى أَيَّامِنَا؟ كُنْتُ جَالِسًا أَحْمِلُ كُوبِيَ الْأَصْفَرَ، الشَّيْءَ الْوَحِيدَ الَّذِي أَخْرَجْتُهُ مِنْ صُنْدُوقٍ، وَأَنْتَظِرُ أَنْ تَمْتَلِئَ الشَّاشَةُ بِمَا يُؤَكِّدُ أَنَّنَا لَمْ نَفْتَرِقْ فِعْلًا.
أَرْسَلَتْ لَمِيسُ قَلْبًا، وَكَتَبَ عَادِلٌ أَنَّهُ يَفْتَقِدُ جَلَسَاتِ الدَّرَجِ. أَمَّا خَالِدٌ فَقَرَأَ الرِّسَالَةَ وَلَمْ يُجِبْ. رَاجَعْتُ صُوَرًا سَابِقَةً، فَوَجَدْتُ اسْمَهُ بَيْنَ الْقُرَّاءِ وَقَلَّمَا وَجَدْتُ رَدًّا مِنْهُ. صِرْتُ أُحْصِي حُضُورَهُ بِمَا يَكْتُبُ، كَأَنَّ عَلَامَةَ الْقِرَاءَةِ وَعْدٌ أَخْلَفَهُ. وَكُلَّمَا زَادَ شَكِّي، أَرْسَلْتُ صُورَةً أُخْرَى لِلْمَكَانِ الَّذِي تَرَكْنَاهُ.
اتَّصَلَ خَالِدٌ لِيَسْأَلَ عَنِ اسْمِ كِتَابٍ أَعَرْتُهُ إِيَّاهُ قَدِيمًا. سَأَلْتُهُ لِمَاذَا لَا يُشَارِكُنَا ذِكْرَيَاتِنَا. قَالَ إِنَّهُ يَتَحَدَّثُ مَعَ عَادِلٍ كُلَّ أُسْبُوعٍ، ثُمَّ سَكَتَ قَلِيلًا. أَضَافَ أَنَّهُ ارْتَاحَ حِينَ انْتَقَلَ، وَأَنَّ سُؤَالِي عَنِ الِاشْتِيَاقِ لَا يَتْرُكُ لَهُ إِجَابَةً صَادِقَةً يَسْهُلُ نَشْرُهَا. شَعَرْتُ بِأَنَّنِي أَدْعُوهُ إِلَى مَكَانٍ لَمْ أَتْرُكْ لَهُ فِيهِ مَقْعَدًا.
لَمْ أَحْذِفِ الصُّورَةَ، فَالِاشْتِيَاقُ الَّذِي عَبَّرْتُ عَنْهُ كَانَ حَقِيقِيًّا. لَكِنَّنِي كَتَبْتُ فِي الْمَسَاءِ: أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَسْمَعَ عَنْ حَيَاتِكُمُ الْآنَ. اقْتَرَحْتُ مَوْعِدَيْنِ لِمُكَالَمَةٍ، وَأَضَفْتُ أَنَّ رِسَالَةً صَوْتِيَّةً فِي وَقْتٍ آخَرَ تُسْعِدُنِي أَيْضًا. حَذَفْتُ عِبَارَةَ «لَا يَتَخَلَّفْ أَحَدٌ» قَبْلَ الْإِرْسَالِ، مَعَ أَنَّنِي كُنْتُ قَدْ كَتَبْتُهَا عَلَى سَبِيلِ الْمِزَاحِ، أَوْ هَذَا مَا قُلْتُهُ لِنَفْسِي.
شَارَكَ عَادِلٌ فِي الْمُكَالَمَةِ، وَأَرْسَلَ خَالِدٌ تَسْجِيلًا قَصِيرًا عَنْ شُرْفَتِهِ الْجَدِيدَةِ. لَمْ تَظْهَرْ لَمِيسُ ذَلِكَ الْمَسَاءَ. هَمَمْتُ أَنْ أَكْتُبَ لَهَا: أَيْنَ اخْتَفَيْتِ؟ ثُمَّ تَرَكْتُ الْهَاتِفَ لِأَفْتَحَ الصَّنَادِيقَ. عِنْدَمَا وَجَدْتُ الْكِتَابَ الَّذِي سَأَلَ عَنْهُ خَالِدٌ، صَوَّرْتُ غِلَافَهُ وَأَرْسَلْتُهُ إِلَيْهِ وَحْدَهُ. بَقِيَتِ الْمَجْمُوعَةُ صَامِتَةً، بَيْنَمَا كُنَّا نُقَارِنُ مَا يَتَذَكَّرُهُ كُلٌّ مِنَّا عَنْ نِهَايَتِهِ.
Show English translationHide English translation
After the last of us left the building, the group chat still bore the name of our old street. I sent a picture of my empty room; a pale rectangle marked the wall where the calendar had been. I wrote, “Who misses our old days?” I sat holding my yellow mug, the only thing I had taken out of a box, and waiting for the screen to fill with proof that we had not really parted.
Lamis sent a heart, and Adel wrote that he missed our gatherings on the stairs. Khalid read the message without answering. Looking through earlier pictures, I found his name among the readers and rarely found a reply from him. I began counting his presence by what he wrote, as though a read receipt were a promise he had broken. The more I doubted, the more pictures I sent of the place we had left.
Khalid called to ask the name of a book I had lent him long ago. I asked why he did not join us in remembering. He said he spoke to Adel every week, then paused. He added that he had felt relieved when he moved, and that my question about missing the place left him without an honest answer he could easily post. I felt I was inviting him somewhere I had left him no seat.
I did not delete the photograph: the longing I had expressed was real. But that evening I wrote, “I want to hear about your lives now.” I suggested two times for a call and added that a voice message at another time would also make me happy. Before sending, I deleted “Nobody must miss it,” although I had written it as a joke—or so I told myself.
Adel joined the call, and Khalid sent a short recording about his new balcony. Lamis did not appear that evening. I almost wrote to her, “Where have you disappeared to?” Then I put the phone down to open the boxes. When I found the book Khalid had asked about, I photographed its cover and sent it to him alone. The group remained silent while we compared what each of us remembered about its ending.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| تَحْمِلُ اسْمَ | bears the name of |
| مُسْتَطِيلٌ شَاحِبٌ | a pale rectangle |
| يَفْتَقِدُ | misses |
| أُحْصِي | count; keep track of |
| أَخْلَفَهُ | he broke it |
| أَعَرْتُهُ إِيَّاهُ | I lent it to him |
| ارْتَاحَ | felt relieved |
| الِاشْتِيَاقِ | longing; missing someone or somewhere |
| عَلَى سَبِيلِ الْمِزَاحِ | as a joke |
| تَسْجِيلًا قَصِيرًا | a short recording |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer. Distinguish what happens, what a character assumes and what the details support.
What to remember
- A shared address does not guarantee that everyone feels the same longing after leaving.
- A quiet group can coexist with active personal connections; it does not explain every member’s silence.
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 أَحْذِفِ الصُّورَةَ
Recognise lam as giving past negative meaning to the statement about deleting the photograph.
Arabic Relative Pronouns: Joining Ideas with Alladhi and Allati
لِلْمَكَانِ الَّذِي تَرَكْنَاهُ
Read alladhi as it links the masculine noun for place to the clause describing it.
