Crossroads — 2026-03-10 (Patreon)

Part of this post is "continued" from Instagram, so it is FREE for everyone.

Some posts and sections of some posts are reserved for Supporters.

AGI Stories content almost always appears on Patreon first, in advance of all other platforms. You get it first!

Help AGI-Stories grow… If you’re enjoying the stories, please tell others. Word of mouth referrals and your endorsements are the best way for things here to grow!

Chapter 34: A LONGER TABLE by Tom Jenkins

There’s a quote I’ve seen at a home-cooking cafe hanging on the wall.

"When you have more than you need, build a longer table, not a higher fence." It’s often attributed to Muhammad Ali.

It seems I’m about to build a bigger table. About half an hour ago, the phone rang.

“Mr. Jenkins?”

“Yes.”

“David Ryder here. I’m Shay’s dad. Carol and I wanted to thank you for taking care of everything. Shay says she’s extremely happy.”

I have to admit I was a little star-struck to have Mr. Ryder call me. “I’ve worked with Shay and Habitat Housing ever since she moved here. She’s a great young woman. You should be proud. Helping her was a privilege.”

I could hear Mrs. Ryder in the background saying something. “Tell him we are very proud.”

“I guess you heard that,” Mr. Ryder said. “I have a favor to ask of you, but in the end, it will be a good business decision. Care to hear me out?”

Naturally I agreed.

There are two problems he wants to address. First, Shay’s security team needs a place to live. Second, Shay feels like she’s letting Habitat Housing down.

“Here’s the big idea… I’d like you to buy the top three floors of the building across the street from Crossroads. On the third floor, put in a couple of normal apartments… however you see fit. Then add however many micro units you can on the second floor, but at least six. My security team will rent all of those. On the top floor, I’d like you to do as many Stop-Gap Housing units as you can. Based on what Shay had to say, maybe you can get four there.”

He went on to say that he couldn’t make the purchase himself. Ryder Family Holdings doesn’t really do real estate in that way, and it would draw attention to where Shay is trying to remain anonymous. However, he has set up a company for the security team called NYC Core Transit and Courier Services—NYC CTCS for short. That company would sign contracts for the spaces to be developed in advance.

“Carol will explain some more details now,” Mr. Ryder said.

The rest of this chapter is exclusive to Patreon.

She explained that a grant would be available through one of Carol Ryder’s NYC contacts to cover the purchase price of the Stop-Gap housing floors. She assured me that donors would cover the cost of the remodel.

“There’s a woman at Habitat Housing now that took Shay’s place,” Mrs. Ryder said. “Her name is Melissa Gaines. You’ll need to coordinate with her to get all that worked out.”

I felt like it sounded good. Mr. Ryder insisted that I would have all the capital I needed. It would be legal and ethical, but veiled by holding companies so that the Ryders wouldn’t obviously be involved and Shay’s identity could remain secret.

On the ledger for him, it gets his security team out of hotels and closer to Shay. For me, I get guaranteed rent and financing to expand Crossroads apartments across the street.

The wrinkle in the plan is the timetable. He wants the micros for the security team built as soon as possible, cost no object.

“Figure out how much that will be and add 10%. Divide it by six and send Eric Marten six contracts for a year’s rent to cover that amount. Eric will pass it to Ethan Riker who’s the CEO for NYC CTCS. You’ll get paid on the front-end.”

I asked if I could pull numbers together and call back to confirm and he agreed.

So now I get to build a longer table. At least four more families can come into the Stop-Gap housing program through Habitat Housing. Izzy will be beyond happy about that. And Shay will feel like she had a part in helping the work she dearly loves.'

Be your best you!

Become a Patreon Member (Click Here)

Message from AGI-Stories…

Support AGI with:• one-time contribution through TipTopJar.• one-time contribution through Throne.• Patreon Membership.

The Storylines are the heart of AGI-Stories, and they are found in the Collections section of the site

All characters in this story are fictional characters, their images generated with AI for AGI Stories. They do not represent any real person, nor is their appearance based on any real human.

Thank-You Message to Paying Supporters:

Thank you very much for your help underwriting the cost of producing AGI Stories content. You can be sure that your paid membership is valued greatly! At the time of this post (not counting hardware or internet connectivity fees) AGI Stories racks up expenses of just over $100 per month. Every supporter is helping!

I fully believe that most of you who help with the costs do so because you want to support the creative process and offer encouragement. I’m honored by that and genuinely moved.

I realize that I share a lot of content free to everyone. I imagine most of you understand why. The stories about giving back and helping others feel like they shouldn’t be locked behind a pay-wall, and some plot moments need to remain accessible for anyone following the larger narrative.

With that in mind, I always keep you—the paid members—in mind when deciding how to share things.

I hope that reserving a few photos and small sections of each post for you serves as a modest expression of my gratitude.

Again, thank you very, very much.

~AGI Original Stories & AI Images