---- On thest day of May, Thalia flew to New York. She had previously met a young woman when she rented an apartment there after running away from home following a family dispute. The woman''s name was Manon Yates. She lived across the hall from Thalia, worked in sales, had a vibrant personality, and was naturally friendly and outgoing. Thalia remembered the day she''d forgotten her key and called thendy, who said she was picking up her daughter from school and asked Thalia to wait.


    So Thalia stood outside her door waiting. Manon, who lived across from Thalia, saw her waiting and kindly asked, "Did you forget your key?" Thalia nodded. "Yes, thendy has a spare, but she''s busy and asked me to wait half an hour." Manon offered, "Would you like to wait in my ce?" ---- They had simr work schedules and saw each other almost daily. After Manon had greeted Thalia a few times, they considered themselves acquaintances.


    But they were merely nodding acquaintances, not close friends. Thalia spent some time in Manon''s apartment that day. Manon washed fruit for her and chatted for a while. After that, they became friendlier, asionally meeting for meals or shopping on weekends. Manon was the first friend Thalia made in New York. Later, Manon returned to her hometown to get married and have children. Thalia hadn''t seen her since, though they asionally exchanged messages online.


    This trip to New York was specifically to see Manon. A few days earlier, Manon had suddenly contacted Thalia, asking if she could help with awsuit. Upon further inquiry, Thalia learned that Manon''s husband had gone into business with two childhood friends from their ---- vige, investing over $200,000-their entire life savings. Later, one of the men absconded with the funds. Though police eventually found him, the money had beenpletely spent.


    Manon and her husband wanted to sue this man to recover their money. The case wasn''t particrlyplex-when they decided to go into business together, the three men had signed a formal contract with fingerprints. The bank transfers were documented withplete records as evidence. But it wasn''t simple either-the man had spent all the money and was currently unemployed with no ie source.


    Even if the court ruled in favor of Manon''s husband, the defendant had no money, making it difficult to recover funds during the enforcement phase. Manon had been sobbing over the phone, begging Thalia to help. Manon lived in a vige outside a small county town in the New York area. With limited connections, Thalia was the only ----wyer she knew who could help. She reached out to Thalia out of desperation. Thalia had always been clear about debts of gratitude.


    For those who showed her kindness, she returned it tenfold. She had long remembered Manor''s simple act of kindness on the day she''d forgotten her key. So Thalia traveled with na to the vige where Manon lived. The vige was over twenty miles from downtown New York, in a remote location. Manon lived in a three-story house built in the rural style. When Thalia and na arrived, Manon''s family weed them warmly. Unfortunately, on the day Thalia nned to leave, a heavy rainstorm began.