Two passengers share a bench and a newspaper page without exchanging names. A new timetable makes one of them wonder whether their routine can become an invitation.
01Read the Arabic story
الصَّدَاقَةُ الْهَادِئَةُ عِنْدَ مَوْقِفِ الْحَافِلَةِ
كُنْتُ أَعْرِفُ الرَّجُلَ عِنْدَ مَوْقِفِ الْحَافِلَةِ مِنْ طَرِيقَةِ طَيِّ جَرِيدَتِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَرَى وَجْهَهُ. يَتْرُكُ لِي طَرَفَ الْمَقْعَدِ، وَأُنَبِّهُهُ إِذَا وَصَلَتِ الْحَافِلَةُ وَهُوَ يَقْرَأُ. مَضَتْ أَشْهُرٌ عَلَى هَذَا التَّرْتِيبِ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ نَتَبَادَلَ الْأَسْمَاءَ. وَحِينَ سَأَلَتْنِي زَوْجَتِي عَمَّنْ أَرَاهُ صَبَاحًا، قُلْتُ: «صَدِيقٌ»، ثُمَّ أَضَفْتُ: «فِي الْمَوْقِفِ».
لَمْ تَكُنْ أَحَادِيثُنَا كَثِيرَةً، لَكِنَّهُ كَانَ يَحْتَفِظُ بِصَفْحَةِ الْكُتُبِ لِي، وَكُنْتُ أَحْمِلُ إِلَيْهِ خَبَرَ إِصْلَاحِ الطَّرِيقِ إِذَا سَمِعْتُهُ. لَمْ أَعْرِفْ أَيْنَ يَعْمَلُ أَوْ مَنْ يَنْتَظِرُهُ بَعْدَ الْعَوْدَةِ. رُبَّمَا أَرَحْتُهُ بِقِلَّةِ أَسْئِلَتِي، وَرُبَّمَا كُنْتُ أَحْمِي نَفْسِي مِنْ أَسْئِلَةٍ مُمَاثِلَةٍ. عَلَى الْمَقْعَدِ، كَانَ الصَّمْتُ يَتَّسِعُ لِهَذَيْنِ التَّفْسِيرَيْنِ مَعًا.
ثُمَّ عَلَّقَتْ شَرِكَةُ النَّقْلِ جَدْوَلًا جَدِيدًا عَلَى الْعَمُودِ. صَارَ عَلَيَّ أَنْ أَخْرُجَ أَبْكَرَ لِأَصِلَ إِلَى عَمَلِي، أَمَّا هُوَ فَلَمْ يَحْتَجْ إِلَى تَغْيِيرِ وَقْتِهِ. قَالَ: «إِذَنْ لَنْ نَلْتَقِيَ كَثِيرًا». أَجَبْتُ بِإِيمَاءَةٍ وَأَعَدْتُ قِرَاءَةَ الْجَدْوَلِ، كَأَنَّنِي أَبْحَثُ عَنْ سَطْرٍ لَمْ أَلْحَظْهُ. كَانَتْ وَرَقَةٌ عَلَى عَمُودٍ تُغَيِّرُ تَرْتِيبًا لَمْ نَضَعْهُ نَحْنُ.
فِي آخِرِ صَبَاحٍ قَبْلَ التَّغْيِيرِ، قُلْتُ إِنَّنِي أَشْتَرِي قَهْوَةً أَحْيَانًا مِنَ الْكُشْكِ الْقَرِيبِ يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ. ثُمَّ سَأَلْتُهُ إِنْ كَانَ يُنَاسِبُهُ أَنْ يَشْرَبَهَا مَعِي فِي السَّبْتِ الْمُقْبِلِ. طَوَى الْجَرِيدَةَ بِبُطْءٍ، وَسَأَلَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ. قُلْتُ: «التَّاسِعَةُ». أَجَابَ: «رُبْعُ سَاعَةٍ قَبْلَ الذَّهَابِ إِلَى السُّوقِ». وَصَلَتِ الْحَافِلَةُ، فَأَشَرْتُ إِلَيْهَا كَعَادَتِي، مَعَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَنْظُرُ نَحْوَهَا.
يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ، وَجَدْتُهُ جَالِسًا عِنْدَ الْمَوْقِفِ، لَا أَمَامَ الْكُشْكِ. حَمَلْتُ الْقَهْوَةَ إِلَيْهِ وَجَلَسْتُ فِي مَكَانِي الْمَأْلُوفِ. أَخْرَجَ صَفْحَةَ الْكُتُبِ مِنْ جَيْبِهِ، فَوَجَدْتُ عَلَيْهَا تَارِيخَ الثُّلَاثَاءِ الْمَاضِي. تَحَدَّثْنَا عَنْ كِتَابٍ لَمْ يَقْرَأْهُ أَيٌّ مِنَّا، ثُمَّ نَظَرَ إِلَى سَاعَتِهِ وَقَامَ. لَمْ نُحَدِّدْ مَوْعِدًا آخَرَ، وَبَقِيَتِ الصَّفْحَةُ مَعِي حِينَ انْطَلَقَ نَحْوَ السُّوقِ.
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I recognised the man at the bus stop by the way he folded his newspaper before I saw his face. He left me the end of the bench, and I alerted him if the bus arrived while he was reading. Months passed with this arrangement, without our exchanging names. When my wife asked whom I saw in the mornings, I said, “A friend,” then added, “At the stop.”
We did not talk much, but he kept the book page for me, and I brought him news of road repairs if I heard any. I did not know where he worked or who waited for him after his return. Perhaps my few questions put him at ease; perhaps I was protecting myself from similar questions. On the bench, the silence had room for both explanations.
Then the transport company posted a new timetable on the pole. I now had to leave earlier to reach work, while he had no need to change his time. He said, “Then we won’t meet as often.” I nodded and read the timetable again, as though looking for a line I had missed. A sheet on a pole was changing an arrangement we had never made ourselves.
On the last morning before the change, I said I sometimes bought coffee from the nearby kiosk on Saturdays. Then I asked whether it would suit him to have one with me the following Saturday. He folded the newspaper slowly and asked the time. I said, “Nine.” He replied, “A quarter of an hour before going to the market.” The bus arrived, and I pointed towards it as usual, although he was already looking at it.
On Saturday I found him sitting at the stop, rather than outside the kiosk. I carried the coffee over and sat in my familiar place. He took the book page from his pocket, and I noticed the date of the previous Tuesday on it. We talked about a book neither of us had read; then he looked at his watch and stood up. We arranged no further meeting, and the page stayed with me as he headed towards the market.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| طَيِّ | folding |
| وَأُنَبِّهُهُ | and I alert him |
| يَحْتَفِظُ | he keeps |
| مُمَاثِلَةٍ | similar |
| بِإِيمَاءَةٍ | with a nod |
| الْكُشْكِ | the kiosk |
| يُنَاسِبُهُ | suits him |
| الْمَأْلُوفِ | familiar |
| جَيْبِهِ | his pocket |
| انْطَلَقَ | set off |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer per question. Weigh the characters’ words against their assumptions and gestures. Open the English support when needed.
What to remember
- The narrator qualifies his own interpretation: few questions might be considerate, but they may also protect his privacy.
- The saved page suggests continuing attention, while the brief coffee meeting leaves the relationship’s future open.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Prepositions with Pronouns: To Me, On Me and With Us
حَمَلْتُ الْقَهْوَةَ إِلَيْهِ
Read ilayhi as “to him” when the narrator carries coffee towards the other passenger.
Lam in Arabic: How to Say “Did Not”
لَمْ أَلْحَظْهُ
Notice how lam and a jussive verb deny noticing something in the past.
