A Thousand Splendid Suns

One day, Rasheed suggested that Mariam go and take a bath at a place where everyone would go and take one. When she got there, she started to scream because she saw blood everywhere. "Its normal isn't it?!?!" she screamed at Fariba. That was Mariam's first miscarriage. Rasheed got angry. 5 more miscarriages later, Rasheed had enough. Mariam would try to talk with him or make conversation with him, but to him she just seemed like a dumb young woman just there for his pleasure. One evening when Mariam was making him dinner, he spit out the rice she had made. "Whats wrong?" she asked. Rasheed got up and left the house. Mariam stood there frozen, not knowing what to do. All of a sudden Rasheed stormed in and demanded her to open her mouth. Mariam took a look at his palm and saw that it was filled with pebbles from the yard. "Open your mouth!" he demanded again. Finally, Rasheed forced her mouth open, put the pebbles in, and forced her jaw to chew it. After he was satisfied, he left...leaving Mariam on the floor covered in blood and with her teeth on the ground surrounding her.