The part that stood out to me was her reluctance to join her mother. Plenty of times people have left Caribbean countries and ventured to New York to better their lives and that of their loved ones. Sometimes It takes years before seeing or living with each other again so I can understand why she wouldn’t want to leave. Yes she may be leaving to be with her biological mother, but Atie was the mother she knew, the woman who nurtured and raised her. They shared a bond with each other over the time spent together, a bond she yet had with her mother. Atie probably saw her as a daughter as well but didn’t want to impose on the relationship she could have with her real mother.