Dear Mariam Jo,
My favourite character in all of the world, I’m writing this letter to you, for you. Though you deserve like a million letters but let me begin with this one. Mariam jo, I fell in love with you the moment I read how you were waiting restlessly for Jalil. How can one not fall in love with you, a tiny, cute, happy girl? One who waits every thursday for his father who didn’t even give her his name. One who is so patient with his mother, though she spits nothing else but poison. Mariam, you know you were Mullah Faizullah’s favourite little kid. And he knew the zest you had for studies.
I know your pain too, Mariam. The pain of betrayal by your own father. You deserved better than this. A better father, a better husband and certainly a better mother. I love how accepting you were. You not only accepted but also loved Laila Jo who was your substitute. And your relationship with Aziza was the most beautiful relationship this world know of. Although you had no relationship with Aziza by blood but you loved her more than anyone in this world. And you thus proved that blood isn’t necessary for a relationship, some relationships are based purely on love. You were the best daughter of unforgivable parents, the best wife of a beast, and the best grandmother. But apart from all of this, you were a warrior. And in the end, you took your revenge from Rasheed.
And your selflessness…ohh… You are the most selfless person Mariam Jo. You didn’t deserve the end you got. And each time I read ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ I’m left red-eyed. But when I remember you, I don’t remember the crying Mariam, I remember the warrior Mariam, the most motherly Mariam, the laughing Mariam enjoying halwa with Laila, the little Mariam, outside the kolba, playing with her pebbles.
Dear Mariam Jo, you have the grace and beauty of A thousand splendid suns.
For my beloved Mariam Jo,
Lili lili birdbath,
Sitting on a dirt path,
Minnow sat on the rim and drank,
Slipped, and in the water, she sank.
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Written by: Aryan Gupta
