The Chosen — 2025-11-15 (Patreon)

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Chapter 31: WE’RE A TEAM by Rebecca Flint

Today, we had a team meeting. It’s the first time since Colorado that we’ve all been together.

We got back to NYC on Sunday night, November 2. Paul and I had some reports to fill out on Monday. We got the plane cleaned up and serviced. Likewise, we took the Explorers through the carwash and back to the parking garage where we keep them.

We got a couple of “stand by” messages from The Pay It Forward Society, then a week of nothing. Paul and I have passed the time together, and I suppose I should post about that another time.

Today, we had a message for the team.

“Okay,” Paul said, “we got messages on Wednesday… We scheduled this meeting right away.”

I picked up at that point. “First of all, next Friday night, we’re off again. Paul will circle back to that. But, in the meantime, there’s a new… as they say… directive. All members of the team are to report any and all volunteer work to me. So, Kent… we need you to check in when you do things for Izzy…”

Addison sort of giggled at that point, so I clarified. “When you volunteer for Habitat Housing and Stop-Gap Homes.”

“I understood,” Kent replied.

I went on. “Anyone… if you do anything, just send me a text. They want a log, and especially if you mention it on social media.”

Merritt pointed at Emma. “How about her work at the church’s homeless ministry?”

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I decided to record that, too. “I don’t know what they’ll do with any of this, so, I might as well, right?”

Paul and I continue to be a bit unsettled by the vague instructions, all the downtime, and finding things out in what seems like the last minute. But, so far, no one has suffered from it. And as we’ve said, the compensation we’re all getting is more than generous.

I went on to the next point. “You are also to create another list of things in the world that need to get better. Specifics, this time. Not ‘clean water’ or ‘homelessness.’ They want the names of villages, cities, etc. Any data you can come up with.”

Hannah then asked, “Is this an awareness exercise or are we creating a to-do list?”

“I wish I could answer that,” I said.

“So,” Emma replied, “we just get some ideas and tell you?”

Paul answered that question. “We’ll all go around at the next meeting which will be after our next mission.”

“Which is Friday until when?” Noah asked. “I’m already on the schedule, so I’ll have to get my shifts changed.”

“Me too,” Jacob added. “Retail… Closing in on Thanksgiving shopping…”

Paul answered again. “Same as last time. Wheels up around 18:00. Back late Sunday night.”

“And, we are going where?” Addison asked.

“Belize,” Paul replied. “Wheels up 18:00, landing about 23:00. Hotel by midnight our time. We’ll connect with the Belize Audubon Society to do mangrove replanting and restoration.”

Paul then went into details about the mission. He explained how mangroves are vital parts of ecosystems that provide habitat for many creatures and how they also protect shorelines from erosion.

“Plus,” Paul added, “an acre of mangroves takes in five times as much carbon as an acre of terrestrial plants.”

“So,” Izzy said, “we’re going to go plant mangroves?”

“Right,” Paul replied, “so—restoration work. People think it’s just about planting trees, but it’s a bit more complicated than that.

“Mangroves hold the soil together, slow down the waves, and give fish somewhere to grow up before heading out to sea. When they’re gone, the land starts slipping away, and you can’t build enough walls or sandbags to stop it.

“What we’re doing is giving nature a bit of a nudge to get back on her feet. We’ll collect these propagules—little green pods that look like darts—and plant them in the right tidal zone. The trick is balance: they need salt water, but not so much that they drown. Too dry, and they crack. Our contacts down there will show us where to put them. We just push them down into the mud.”

“And this is really important?” Noah asked.

I answered. “We’ve had some time to read up on this. If these mangroves aren’t where they’re meant to be… pollution… development… all that… the whole ecosystem suffers. Not to mention erosion. So, we’ll connect with the Audubon Society, and see if we can make a dent in the problem. It’s ongoing work, but we can do some good.”

There were more questions, and we talked for a while. Then, we were done.

Afterwards, there was something of a diaspora of team members picking up who was going with whom to where to eat what. Paul and I decided to go with Merritt, Emma, Hannah, and Noah for burgers.

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Chapter 32: LUNCH OUT by Emma Knox

A little while back today, all of us from The Pay It Forward Society team had a meeting. We learned about our next mission and mangroves. Then Paul and Rebecca decided to go with me, Merritt, Hannah, and Noah for burgers.

It wasn’t really official or anything. It was just something fun to do on a Saturday afternoon.

Now, somehow, college football come up, and Noah’s from East Tennessee, not far from Knoxville. So he started in on how the Vols were great. Well, Merritt graduated from University of Georgia at Athens, so he had to say how great the Bulldogs are.

They went back and forth, laughing and making jokes about each other’s team. It was all in fun, and really, neither one of them cared that much.

Hannah informed them not to even try to drag her into the debate. “Syracuse went 3-7 this year!”

I’m not exactly sure what Noah said, but Rebecca got into the discussion.

“My undergraduate was University of Washington. Go Huskies! But for my PhD, it’s Tim the Beaver all the way!” Rebecca went to MIT for her doctorate degree. “Finished 6 and 3 this year and cracked the top-100 rankings.”

Noah stifled a laugh and said, “Well, top 100… is something… It wasn’t a great year for the Vols, either…”

Turns out the Bulldogs are ranked 5th in the nation and still in the playoffs. Merritt was a little proud about that.

Anyway, I guess I shared all that to say that we all had a real fun time at lunch. It really felt fun and friendly.

Now if you ask me, that’s what it’s like to be on a good team.

Chapter 33: AFTER THOUGHTS by Hannah Madison

I cannot deny it. Today was great. But those muscles at the back of my head—the ones you use when you laugh and smile… aching!

Now, if you’re like me, you can’t let that sentence just slip by. Naturally, I looked it up. The main smile muscle is the zygomaticus major. For me, today, it is the zygomaticus major ache!

The morning started with Emma’s normal happy disposition. We moved on to the team meeting that was relaxed and helpful. Then on to lunch.

That’s where it all started.

The conversation was lively and fun. And the laughter began.

After lunch, we all gathered in the common area (Merritt, Emma, Noah, and me). We played some board games and watched some movies.

Merritt and Noah seem to play off each other in a great way. They are both smart and see the world from an interesting point of view.

We got snacks—cheese, crackers, and fruit—and Merritt had a question that got me laughing so that I actually had tears!

“Ever think about the first guy to try cheese? Like he looked at his milk and saw that it had turned yellow and gotten hard, then he said, ‘Hmm… wonder how that tastes?”

I’m smiling just thinking about it.

I really feel like I’ve landed very solidly into a friend group. I don’t feel alone. But…

Part of me sort of wants to have a guy to call my own. I’m 23, on track to a great job with a great company. I’ve locked in with The Pay It Forward Society and have a chance to do great things—literally all around the world.

I’m not too young to be thinking of a husband and family over the next seven or so years. And I’ve heard it said that you usually don’t notice things if you’re not even looking for them.

I guess I’m at the point where I hope to notice something. Maybe the next year will open up that sort of relationship to me as well.

Maybe it will be someone from the apartments? Someone from work? Or someone I just happen to meet some day at a coffee shop…

I’ll keep you posted! How about that?

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