📖 Story
In a small village among lemon and olive orchards lived an eight-year-old boy named Tarek. Every Friday a market was held in the village's big square, and people came from the neighbouring villages to sell fresh vegetables, white cheese, warm bread and baskets woven from straw. Tarek loved the market very much. He loved the voices of the sellers calling out, the smell of bread and mint, and the colors of the fruit arranged in crates. That month his mother's birthday was coming, and Tarek wanted to buy her a present with his very own money.
In Uncle Rashid's shop Tarek had seen a soft blue shawl embroidered with tiny white flowers, and he knew at once that his mother would love it, because blue was her favourite color. But the shawl cost more than he had in his piggy bank. Tarek thought for a long time, and then an idea lit up in his head. In their garden stood a big lemon tree whose branches were full of yellow lemons. He went to his father and said, "Baba, can I make lemonade and sell it at the market on Friday? I want to buy a present for Mama." His father smiled and said, "What a wonderful idea. I'll help you build the stand."
On Thursday Tarek and his father worked together. They built a little stand out of old wooden crates and painted it yellow, and Tarek wrote on it in big, neat letters: Fresh Lemonade with Mint. Then Tarek picked the lemons and squeezed them by hand until his fingers were tired. He added cold water, sugar and green mint leaves, tasted it and said, "Delicious!" Then he poured it into a big glass jug. He and his father agreed on the price: two dirhams a cup. His father told him, "Remember, Tarek, a successful merchant is an honest merchant."
On Friday morning Tarek set up his yellow stand in a corner of the market, under the big mulberry tree. The weather was a little hot, and people were thirsty after wandering among the stalls. The first customer was a woman carrying a basket of vegetables. "One cup, please, my son," she said. Tarek poured her lemonade carefully. She drank it and said, "How delicious!" and paid two dirhams. Then came two boys, then a man who sold watermelons, then a lady with her little daughter. Tarek smiled at each of them, said, "Enjoy, and good health!" and put the money in a small metal tin.
Around noon an old man came walking slowly, leaning on a wooden cane and wearing a straw hat. His face was kind and full of wrinkles, and his glasses were thick. He sat on the bench next to the stand to rest and said, "My son, the sun is hot today. Give me a cup of your cold lemonade." Tarek poured him a big cup and added an extra mint leaf. The old man drank slowly, then said, "Bless your hands, this is the best lemonade I've tasted in years." Then he took a handful of coins from his pocket, put them in Tarek's hand without counting them, got up, took his cane and walked away.
Tarek looked at the coins in his hand and began to count: one dirham, two, three, four... ten dirhams! Ten dirhams instead of two! Tarek realized that the old man hadn't seen the coins well because of his weak eyesight, and had given him much more than the price of a cup. Tarek stood there, unsure what to do. A small voice in his head whispered, "Eight extra dirhams! With this money you'll buy the shawl much sooner. Besides, the old man didn't notice, and no one will ever know." But another voice in his heart said, "This isn't your money, Tarek. It belongs to the old man, and maybe he needs it to buy bread or medicine."
Tarek remembered his father's words: a successful merchant is an honest merchant. He also remembered how he had felt the day he lost his new pen at school, and how happy he was when a classmate gave it back. He looked down the road and saw the old man moving slowly away among the people, his straw hat appearing and disappearing between the stalls. There was no more time to think. Tarek called to his friend Bilal, the cheese seller's son, "Bilal, please watch my stand for one minute!" Then, clutching the eight dirhams in his fist, he ran through the crowd as fast as he could.
Tarek ran between the vegetable stalls, jumped over a crate of tomatoes, said sorry to a woman he nearly bumped into, and kept calling, "Uncle! Uncle with the hat!" At last he reached the old man at the market gate and stood in front of him, panting. The old man turned in surprise and said, "What's the matter, my son? Did you forget something?" Tarek held out his open hand with the eight dirhams in it and said, catching his breath, "Uncle, you gave me ten dirhams, and a cup costs only two. This is your money."
The old man looked at the coins, then at Tarek's face, red from running, and was silent for a long moment. Then he smiled a wide smile, and a small tear appeared in his eye behind his glasses. He put his hand on Tarek's head and said, "My son, I have lived many long years, and I have seen many people running after money, but I have rarely seen anyone run to give money back to its owner. What is your name?" "My name is Tarek," said Tarek. "And mine is Mansour," said the old man. "Once I was a merchant in this very market."
Uncle Mansour took the dirhams and said, "Come, I'll walk back to your stand with you." On the way he asked, "Why are you selling lemonade, Tarek?" So Tarek told him about his mother's birthday and the blue shawl in Uncle Rashid's shop. When they reached the stand, Uncle Mansour sat on the bench and said loudly so that people could hear, "People of the market! The owner of this stand is an honest boy. He ran after me to return money I gave him by mistake. His lemonade is delicious, and his heart is even sweeter!"
People turned, heard the story, and came one after another to buy from the honest boy. Uncle Rashid himself came and drank two cups, Tarek's teacher from school came, and the neighbours came with their children. Tarek poured and smiled and counted the money carefully, giving every customer the right change. Before the afternoon was over, the jug was completely empty! When Tarek counted the money in the metal tin, he found he had collected enough for the shawl, with a little left over.
Tarek ran to Uncle Rashid's shop and bought the blue shawl. Uncle Rashid wrapped it in colorful paper and said, "Today I learned that this shawl is going to a house with an honest boy in it." That evening Tarek gave the present to his mother. She put on the shawl and hugged him for a long time. He told her and his father the story of Uncle Mansour. His father said, "Do you see, Tarek? If you had kept the eight dirhams, you would have gained just eight dirhams. But by giving them back, you gained the trust of the whole market, and a wise friend too."
From that day on, Tarek opened his stand every Friday, and Uncle Mansour always came, drank his cold cup, and told him stories about trading and travelling in the old days. And whenever the villagers wanted to describe a truthful person, they would say, "He's as honest as Tarek of the lemonade stand."
And so Tarek learned that honesty is more precious than gold, and that money which is not ours brings no real happiness, even if no one sees us take it. An honest person wins people's trust and love, has a peaceful heart, and God blesses his living. So if you find something that isn't yours, or receive more than your due, give it back to its owner, even if you have to run after him.
In Uncle Rashid's shop Tarek had seen a soft blue shawl embroidered with tiny white flowers, and he knew at once that his mother would love it, because blue was her favourite color. But the shawl cost more than he had in his piggy bank. Tarek thought for a long time, and then an idea lit up in his head. In their garden stood a big lemon tree whose branches were full of yellow lemons. He went to his father and said, "Baba, can I make lemonade and sell it at the market on Friday? I want to buy a present for Mama." His father smiled and said, "What a wonderful idea. I'll help you build the stand."
On Thursday Tarek and his father worked together. They built a little stand out of old wooden crates and painted it yellow, and Tarek wrote on it in big, neat letters: Fresh Lemonade with Mint. Then Tarek picked the lemons and squeezed them by hand until his fingers were tired. He added cold water, sugar and green mint leaves, tasted it and said, "Delicious!" Then he poured it into a big glass jug. He and his father agreed on the price: two dirhams a cup. His father told him, "Remember, Tarek, a successful merchant is an honest merchant."
On Friday morning Tarek set up his yellow stand in a corner of the market, under the big mulberry tree. The weather was a little hot, and people were thirsty after wandering among the stalls. The first customer was a woman carrying a basket of vegetables. "One cup, please, my son," she said. Tarek poured her lemonade carefully. She drank it and said, "How delicious!" and paid two dirhams. Then came two boys, then a man who sold watermelons, then a lady with her little daughter. Tarek smiled at each of them, said, "Enjoy, and good health!" and put the money in a small metal tin.
Around noon an old man came walking slowly, leaning on a wooden cane and wearing a straw hat. His face was kind and full of wrinkles, and his glasses were thick. He sat on the bench next to the stand to rest and said, "My son, the sun is hot today. Give me a cup of your cold lemonade." Tarek poured him a big cup and added an extra mint leaf. The old man drank slowly, then said, "Bless your hands, this is the best lemonade I've tasted in years." Then he took a handful of coins from his pocket, put them in Tarek's hand without counting them, got up, took his cane and walked away.
Tarek looked at the coins in his hand and began to count: one dirham, two, three, four... ten dirhams! Ten dirhams instead of two! Tarek realized that the old man hadn't seen the coins well because of his weak eyesight, and had given him much more than the price of a cup. Tarek stood there, unsure what to do. A small voice in his head whispered, "Eight extra dirhams! With this money you'll buy the shawl much sooner. Besides, the old man didn't notice, and no one will ever know." But another voice in his heart said, "This isn't your money, Tarek. It belongs to the old man, and maybe he needs it to buy bread or medicine."
Tarek remembered his father's words: a successful merchant is an honest merchant. He also remembered how he had felt the day he lost his new pen at school, and how happy he was when a classmate gave it back. He looked down the road and saw the old man moving slowly away among the people, his straw hat appearing and disappearing between the stalls. There was no more time to think. Tarek called to his friend Bilal, the cheese seller's son, "Bilal, please watch my stand for one minute!" Then, clutching the eight dirhams in his fist, he ran through the crowd as fast as he could.
Tarek ran between the vegetable stalls, jumped over a crate of tomatoes, said sorry to a woman he nearly bumped into, and kept calling, "Uncle! Uncle with the hat!" At last he reached the old man at the market gate and stood in front of him, panting. The old man turned in surprise and said, "What's the matter, my son? Did you forget something?" Tarek held out his open hand with the eight dirhams in it and said, catching his breath, "Uncle, you gave me ten dirhams, and a cup costs only two. This is your money."
The old man looked at the coins, then at Tarek's face, red from running, and was silent for a long moment. Then he smiled a wide smile, and a small tear appeared in his eye behind his glasses. He put his hand on Tarek's head and said, "My son, I have lived many long years, and I have seen many people running after money, but I have rarely seen anyone run to give money back to its owner. What is your name?" "My name is Tarek," said Tarek. "And mine is Mansour," said the old man. "Once I was a merchant in this very market."
Uncle Mansour took the dirhams and said, "Come, I'll walk back to your stand with you." On the way he asked, "Why are you selling lemonade, Tarek?" So Tarek told him about his mother's birthday and the blue shawl in Uncle Rashid's shop. When they reached the stand, Uncle Mansour sat on the bench and said loudly so that people could hear, "People of the market! The owner of this stand is an honest boy. He ran after me to return money I gave him by mistake. His lemonade is delicious, and his heart is even sweeter!"
People turned, heard the story, and came one after another to buy from the honest boy. Uncle Rashid himself came and drank two cups, Tarek's teacher from school came, and the neighbours came with their children. Tarek poured and smiled and counted the money carefully, giving every customer the right change. Before the afternoon was over, the jug was completely empty! When Tarek counted the money in the metal tin, he found he had collected enough for the shawl, with a little left over.
Tarek ran to Uncle Rashid's shop and bought the blue shawl. Uncle Rashid wrapped it in colorful paper and said, "Today I learned that this shawl is going to a house with an honest boy in it." That evening Tarek gave the present to his mother. She put on the shawl and hugged him for a long time. He told her and his father the story of Uncle Mansour. His father said, "Do you see, Tarek? If you had kept the eight dirhams, you would have gained just eight dirhams. But by giving them back, you gained the trust of the whole market, and a wise friend too."
From that day on, Tarek opened his stand every Friday, and Uncle Mansour always came, drank his cold cup, and told him stories about trading and travelling in the old days. And whenever the villagers wanted to describe a truthful person, they would say, "He's as honest as Tarek of the lemonade stand."
And so Tarek learned that honesty is more precious than gold, and that money which is not ours brings no real happiness, even if no one sees us take it. An honest person wins people's trust and love, has a peaceful heart, and God blesses his living. So if you find something that isn't yours, or receive more than your due, give it back to its owner, even if you have to run after him.
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