At first, Mariam is outraged at the presence of another
woman in her home. But she has little say in the matter, since the cruel Rasheed has the
final (and only) say in matters of the household. Laila, however, attempts to become
friends with Mariam, and the lonely Mariam finally realizes that Laila is no threat to
her. She has already come to despise Rasheed, though she doesn't care for her new role
as the second, older wife. She eventually comes to pity Laila, and when Laila stops
Rasheed from beating Mariam with his belt, a bond develops between the two women. When
Laila awakes one morning to find some baby clothes at her door--a gift from Mariam--she
knows that the ice between them has finally broken. They eventually become best friends,
working together to keep Rasheed as happy as possible in order to make their own lives
more tolerable. When Laila invites Mariam to escape with her and Aziza, her son, Mariam
knows she has a true friend under the same roof.
There true
love for one another is illustrated best after Mariam has killed Rasheed. She decides
that the only way for Laila to be free is to accept responsibility for Rasheed's death
herself. Laila wants Mariam to try and escape with her, but Mariam realizes they will
not escape from the Taliban authorities together.
"We'll take care of each other," Laila
said, choking on her words, her eyes wet with tears... "I'll take care of you for a
change."
... Laila crawled to her and again put her head on Mariam's
lap...
... All she could do was roll herself up and bury her face one
last time in the welcoming warmth of Mariam's
lap.
Just before her
execution, Mariam thought again about Laila.
... she was leaving the world as a woman who had
loved and been loved back. She was leaving it as a friend, a companion, a
guardian.
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