“Grieving Lea was more important to her than making sure I was okay.”
Maybe this wasn't all about grieving Lea. A lot of it, sure, no doubt, but what would Mom have been like if she stayed? Grief, depression, guilt, what might that have been like as a parent staying behind with Rumi? All of those things together are a recipe for a mess and grieving for Lea is one part, but protecting Rumi from seeing her mother succumb to all of that might have been another part. Which is worse, the anger and abandonment or whatever she would have felt if she'd seen what might have happened if her mom had stayed and withered?
