A lively discussion keeps going after a deadline; who has actually agreed to wait?
01Read the Arabic story
الْمَوْعِدُ الَّذِي اتَّفَقَ الْجَمِيعُ بِصَمْتٍ عَلَى تَفْوِيتِهِ
كَانَ الْمَوْعِدُ وَاضِحًا عَلَى جَدْوَلِ كَتَالُوجِ مَعْرِضِ الصُّوَرِ: نُسَلِّمُ الْمُسَوَّدَةَ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ. وَبِصِفَتِي مُحَرِّرَةً، أَرْسَلْتُ تَذْكِيرًا قَصِيرًا، ثُمَّ أَجَبْتُ عَنْ سُؤَالٍ طَوِيلٍ حَوْلَ لَوْنِ الْغِلَافِ. لَمْ يَقْتَرِحْ أَحَدٌ مَوْعِدًا بَدِيلًا، وَلَمْ أَقْتَرِحْهُ أَنَا. غَيْرَ أَنَّنَا وَاصَلْنَا مُنَاقَشَةَ التَّفَاصِيلِ كَأَنَّ الْجُمُعَةَ اسْمٌ لِمَرْحَلَةٍ مَرِنَةٍ، لَا يَوْمٌ يَنْتَظِرُهُ شَخْصٌ آخَرُ.
صَبَاحَ السَّبْتِ، أَرْسَلْتُ صُورَةً جَدِيدَةً وَطَلَبْتُ رَأْيَ الزُّمَلَاءِ. أَجَابُوا سَرِيعًا، فَفَهِمْتُ سُرْعَتَهُمْ إِذْنًا بِالتَّأْخِيرِ. كُنْتُ أَنَا أَيْضًا أُرَاجِعُ تَعْلِيقَيْنِ، وَلَكِنَّ صَمْتَنَا مُرِيحٌ؛ يُؤَخِّرُ الْحَاجَةَ إِلَى ذِكْرِ عَمَلِي النَّاقِصِ. فِي الْمَحَادَثَةِ، صَارَ التَّحْسِينُ مَوْعِدَنَا الْوَحِيدَ، وَكُلَّمَا سَأَلْنَا عَنْ صُورَةٍ، بَدَا السُّؤَالُ عَنْ الْوَقْتِ مُقَاطَعَةً لِحَمَاسِنَا الْمُشْتَرَكِ.
ظُهْرًا، سَأَلَنِي عَامِلُ الْمَطْبَعَةِ عَنِ الْمِلَفِّ، ثُمَّ اتَّصَلَ سَلِيمٌ، الَّذِي سَلَّمَ صُوَرَهُ مُبَكِّرًا. كَانَ يَنْتَظِرُ النُّسْخَةَ النِّهَائِيَّةَ قَبْلَ سَفَرِهِ، وَأَبْقَى صَبَاحَهُ خَالِيًا مِنَ الْمَوَاعِيدِ. وَكَانَ سَلِيمٌ يَوْمَهَا خَارِجَ مَجْمُوعَةِ الرَّسَائِلِ الَّتِي ظَنَنْتُهَا تُمَثِّلُ الْجَمِيعَ. قُلْتُ: «يَبْدُو أَنَّنَا اتَّفَقْنَا عَلَى التَّمْدِيدِ». سَأَلَ: «مَنْ نَحْنُ؟ لَمْ تَصِلْنِي رِسَالَةٌ». كَانَ سُؤَالُهُ قَصِيرًا، لَكِنَّهُ أَخْرَجَهُ مِنَ الْجَمْعِ الَّذِي اسْتَعْمَلْتُهُ بِسُهُولَةٍ.
فَتَحْتُ الْجَدْوَلَ وَكَتَبْتُ مَوْعِدًا مُقْتَرَحًا: الِاثْنَيْنَ ظُهْرًا. ذَكَرْتُ تَعْلِيقَيَّ الْمُتَأَخِّرَيْنِ، وَسَأَلْتُ سَلِيمًا وَالْمَطْبَعَةَ وَالزُّمَلَاءَ عَنْ إِمْكَانِ هَذَا التَّغْيِيرِ. لَمْ أَطْلُبْ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يُسَمُّوا التَّأْخِيرَ فَشَلًا؛ طَلَبْتُ أَنْ يَكُونَ لِلْمَوْعِدِ أَشْخَاصٌ مَعْرُوفُونَ يُجِيبُونَ عَنْهُ. وَأَرْسَلْتُ الْمُسَوَّدَةَ الْحَالِيَّةَ إِلَى سَلِيمٍ، لِكَيْ يَقْرَأَهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يُغَيِّرَ خُطَّتَهُ مِنْ أَجْلِنَا.
قَبِلَ سَلِيمٌ الِاثْنَيْنَ، وَطَلَبَ أَلَّا نُبَدِّلَ تَعْلِيقَ صُورَتِهِ بَعْدَ قِرَاءَتِهِ. وَأَكَّدَتِ الْمَطْبَعَةُ أَنَّ الْوَقْتَ مُنَاسِبٌ. عُدْنَا إِلَى الْغِلَافِ، بِحَمَاسٍ لَمْ يَخْتَفِ. تَرَكْتُ الْجُمُعَةَ ظَاهِرَةً فِي الْجَدْوَلِ وَأَضَفْتُ إِلَى جَانِبِهَا الْمَوْعِدَ الْجَدِيدَ وَأَسْمَاءَ الْمُوَافِقِينَ. وَحِينَ أَرْسَلْتُ الْمِلَفَّ، أَجَبْتُ عَنْ سُؤَالِ الْمَطْبَعَةِ قَبْلَ أَنْ أَفْتَحَ صُورَةَ الْغِلَافِ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى.
Show English translationHide English translation
The deadline was clear on the photography exhibition catalogue schedule: we would deliver the draft on Friday. As editor, I sent a brief reminder, then answered a long question about the cover colour. Nobody proposed another date, and neither did I. Yet we kept discussing details as though Friday named a flexible phase rather than a day somebody else was waiting for.
On Saturday morning, I sent a new photograph and asked my colleagues for their opinions. They replied quickly, and I took their speed as permission to delay. I too was revising two captions, but our silence was comfortable: it postponed the need to mention my unfinished work. In the conversation, improvement became our only deadline. Whenever we asked about a photograph, asking about time seemed to interrupt our shared enthusiasm.
At noon, the print shop worker asked me for the file. Then Salim, who had submitted his photographs early, called. He was waiting for the final version before travelling and had kept his morning free of appointments. At that point, Salim was outside the message group I had assumed represented everyone. I said, “It seems we agreed to extend the deadline.” He asked, “Who is we? I received no message.” His question was short, but it removed him from the collective I had used so readily.
I opened the schedule and wrote a proposed deadline: Monday at noon. I mentioned my two overdue captions and asked Salim, the print shop and my colleagues whether this change was possible. I did not ask them to call the delay a failure; I asked for the deadline to have identifiable people answering for it. I sent Salim the current draft so that he could read it before changing his plans for us.
Salim accepted Monday and asked us not to change his photograph’s caption after he had read it. The print shop confirmed that the time suited them. We returned to the cover with enthusiasm that had not disappeared. I left Friday visible in the schedule, adding the new deadline and the names of those who had agreed beside it. When I sent the file, I answered the print shop’s question before opening the cover photograph again.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| الْمُسَوَّدَةَ | the draft |
| تَذْكِيرًا | a reminder |
| مَرِنَةٍ | flexible |
| إِذْنًا | permission |
| تَعْلِيقَيْنِ | two captions |
| مُقَاطَعَةً | an interruption |
| الْمَطْبَعَةِ | the print shop |
| التَّمْدِيدِ | the extension |
| مُقْتَرَحًا | proposed |
| الْمُوَافِقِينَ | those who agreed |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer per question. Track voices, omissions and competing accounts. Choose the reading best supported by the Arabic text.
What to remember
- A quick response about content does not establish agreement on timing.
- The narrator’s admission changes how her earlier collective claim reads.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Kana in Arabic: Was and Were
كَانَ الْمَوْعِدُ وَاضِحًا
See how kana keeps its noun nominative and makes the past description accusative.
Lakinna and Lakin in Arabic: Two Patterns for But
وَلَكِنَّ صَمْتَنَا مُرِيحٌ
Read lakinna with an accusative noun and a nominative contrasting description.
