A Friend in Need

I have made a friend in a woman from My Sister's Place, who first approached me perhaps two weeks ago about my piano playing there, to suggest that I might like to perform at a recital that took place today. A little later, she asked me if I might help her to figure out a song she had been working on before... or, failing that, to attempt to put music to one she had written.
This latter project is one I took up and that we worked on together with much time and energy. Sadly, she was not able to perform it with me at the recital today for which we had been preparing.
She is seperating from her husband and the chaos of this month's needs and demands, of bills and preparation and packing to move away, required her to do much more than she expected she would have to today, and thus not to have time to sing at the recital. She is, understandably, angry, and it is a sad opportunity to lose, but I think she will have another chance to sing her song to the lady to whom it was written. She is not entirely leaving, but leaving the position of full-time staff and will only be back occasionally, to fill in for shifts that are due to some extenuating circumstances no longer filled.
This friend has since become very close very quickly, no doubt in part because her circumstances are dire enough that she must be open to help and support, and I am more than happy to provide it given one of these rare opportunities in which I can step in to do small things that will mean much to someone I know just well enough to be confident that she will accept and appreciate the gestures.
And so, now, she has asked me to look for an apartment to share with her. Her offers are so generous that I am somewhat suspicious of them. Having access to more money than me, she expects to pay more of the rent accordingly. In addition, she intends to look for an in-house nannying position that would keep her away from the apartment even during nights for most of the week, giving me free reign and privacy of the entire place while she is working. Finally, she says she does not mind if I have the larger of the two bedrooms. I don't think I will ask for it, though. This much generosity is cause for skepticism and suspicion, and so I will watch vigilantly, though I have no other reason as yet to think that she is not quite serious and genuine in her offer.
Time shall have to tell us. We intend to apply for an apartment we went to see today. The layout was nice, the condition of the place reasonable, the view beautiful. I do not expect our search to be this easy, but I do look forward with careful, patient, unexaggerated hope, to hearing whether we will be accepted there.

To my new friend, if you end up reading this, I suspect you will understand well enough not to take offence to my suspicions. You know well how devious some people can be. I do not mean to distrust you; only to keep myself quite aware of the level of my own vulnerability to deception and disappointment, and keep that knowledge with me to inform my own decisions.

Oh, also, I should note that I did play an independant piece at the recital and was met with many compliments for it. The skill level among the performers was not high, and I take the compliments happily, but not with much weight. This audience was very easily satisfied, and their approval does not mark great skill, but nevertheless it is always pleasant to know that my performance is appreciated.

Also, also, I have been listening to an audiobook of Sun Tzu's Art of War. I suspect the formality of it may have rubbed off on me somewhat.