As the conversation around the kitchen table began to quiet, Ruth glanced at the clock. “It’s getting late,” she murmured, standing up. “Thomas hasn’t eaten yet.”

  She raised her voice slightly. “Thomas? Veronica?”

  A moment later, footsteps sounded on the stairs. Thomas and Veronica appeared at the top landing. They both stopped when they saw the unexpected gathering in the living room.

  Veronica’s face brightened. “Dad,” she said, turning toward Daniel, “remember last year, I told you about that fight at school? The one where you said I should keep an eye out for the kid who stood up to the bully?”

  Daniel furrowed his brow. “Yeah?”

  She smiled. “Well… I’m dating him.”

  Daniel blinked. His mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out.

  Eric leaned toward him. “What’s that look about?”

  Daniel shook his head, still stunned. “Let’s talk about it later.”

  Ruth broke the silence with a warm smile. “We’ve got donuts and breakfast burritos in the kitchen. Go grab something to eat, then come sit with us.”

  Thomas and Veronica disappeared into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later, plates in hand. They sat side by side on the couch, eyes scanning the adults as if trying to figure out why they’d all been called in.

  Sholomoh cleared his throat. “Okay. We’d like to talk to you both about a few things.”

  Thomas, deadpan and a bit nervous, raised his hand. “I promise—I kept my hands to myself.”

  The room burst into laughter.

  Daniel grinned. “So I guess that means no wedding today. Shame. Would’ve made for a very memorable breakfast.”

  He turned to his daughter. “Veronica, can you tell me what Thomas has been trying to explain to you these last few days?”

  Veronica straightened, thoughtful. “He said that science is a branch of philosophy. Theology is, too. So you can actually use scientific principles—logic, reason—to examine belief and abstract concepts.”

  She paused, then suddenly lit up with recognition. “Tom—Aristotelian logic?”

  Thomas nodded once, silently.

  Her eyes widened. “Dad, can I talk to you for a second?”

  Daniel nodded. She walked over and leaned close, whispering something in his ear. Daniel nodded again, slowly, his expression growing serious.

  May turned toward Veronica. “Do you think you’re ready for a write-up?”

  Veronica considered. “Shoshana could probably do it today. I’ll need a couple more Saturdays to review, but… yeah, I think I’m close.”

  She looked at Thomas. “How did you figure it out?”

  Thomas shrugged lightly. “I started by asking: Why study this text? What lesson could it have that might carry over into… whatever comes after? Besides Ordis Amari. Then it hit me—it’s not just the lesson itself. It’s the structure of the argument. The way it’s built—both for and against. That’s the point. Everything can be examined that way. Even virtues.”

  There was a brief pause. Then Sholomoh said, “Veronica, we have a question to ask you.”

  She nodded. “Ask away.”

  Ruth leaned forward. “Do you know what you’ve just accomplished?”

  Veronica looked thoughtful. “I think… I just cleared the hurdle to get my next medallion.”

  May beamed. “Yes, sweetheart. And there’s more. Sholomoh realized something this morning—Shoshana and Thomas are both submitting their reports today. With Thomas’s help, I think you’ll be ready in a week or two.”

  Ruth added gently, “So we’re going to ask you: How much is your time with Thomas worth to you?”

  Veronica didn’t hesitate. “A lot. Personally, it means a lot. Why—are you expecting something to happen once you turn in Thomas’s report?”

  Sholomoh nodded slowly. “Not immediately. But it won’t take long for people to realize Thomas can help their kids get past the same hurdles.”

  Veronica’s eyes narrowed slightly. “No. I already earned my hours. I’m not giving them up.”

  May gave her a proud smile. “Good. You’ve done a lot to protect Thomas. But now you need to understand—it’s not just girls who’ll be coming after his time.”

  Thomas blinked. “So… what would you like us to do?”

  Daniel leaned forward, voice calm but firm. “You tell people you have obligations. If someone wants tutoring time with Thomas, they’ll need to go through me or Sholomoh. Simple as that.”

  Thomas and Veronica exchanged a look—mutual understanding, and a quiet resolve settling between them.

  Let me know if you’d like the next scene to follow them into a private conversation or stay with the adults as they debrief.

  Sholomoh: Gentlemen if you would like to witness history please join me in my office.

  They get up and leave and head over to the office in the house. then close the door for some privacy

  Ruth, May, and Wendy exchanged knowing smiles as they turned to Veronica, warmth in their eyes.

  Ruth: "Now that Thomas is out of the room, let’s talk about you. Have you thought about your next step?"

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  May: "You know your dad works in the lodge, and that it has a hierarchical structure. What you may not know is that there’s a group for women as well. We call it a circle—though our structure is much less formal."

  Wendy: "While you won’t be able to fully participate until after high school, it’s time to start making you aware."

  Veronica leaned forward, intrigued. "I’ve wondered if there was a structure like Dad’s. What’s the purpose of the circle?"

  Ruth: "Think of it as a way to support concerns that are more unique to women. It’s a little like a youth group—an extension of the friendships you’ve built, like the one with Shoshana. Ever wonder how certain things get coordinated?"

  Veronica tilted her head, considering. "Like what?"

  May: "Well, for example—the Cricket game. Once the circle heard about it, they helped spread the word. They’d been wanting an informal event."

  Veronica’s brows knit together. "I thought Thomas sold it."

  Wendy: "He did—to the youth. But then the youth told their mothers. Their mothers told their husbands that they weren’t about to disappoint the kids. And just like that, the momentum carried forward."

  Realization dawned on Veronica’s face. "That explains a few things I’ve always wondered about."

  Ruth: "Exactly. So if you have any questions, we’re happy to answer."

  n his office, Sholomoh picked up the phone and dialed his son, David. The line clicked, and David answered.

  David: "Hey, Dad."

  Sholomoh: "Hello. I’ve got Daniel and Eric here with me."

  David paused for a moment. "That’s good. I have Shoshana on this side. Is there any question as to why we’re here?"

  Daniel: "From what I understand, Eric and I are here to witness the submission of the Summa Theologica report to the lodge—and to keep an eye on Thomas and Shoshana."

  David: "Have you both read Thomas’s report on the book?"

  Eric: "I was impressed. Actually, Sholomoh brought us here to discuss the potential impact of submitting these reports. Oh—just so you know, Veronica had an epiphany this morning. Based on what she said, it’s clear Thomas didn’t just give her the answer—he led her right to the door."

  David hesitated. "Why bring that up?"

  Daniel: "Because your father realized that once news of these reports gets out, it could have an impact on Thomas."

  David took a deep breath. "Dad, are you saying that in the next few months, people will start realizing that Shoshana’s and Veronica’s reports were based on working with Thomas?"

  Sholomoh: "Yes."

  David: "Then what’s the play?"

  Daniel: "For now, Thomas has been told he has other obligations. If anyone wants to schedule tutoring with him, they’ll have to go through me or Sholomoh. We’re limiting tutoring sessions to his hours at the bookstore."

  Eric: "What about Shoshana?"

  A brief silence. Then David exhaled. "I guess we got too caught up in the report."

  Shoshana: "Look, guys—I don’t want to tutor. If people push, I’ll send them to Mom or Tamar. I understand what Thomas pointed out, but I have no idea how he got there. That’s his skillset, not mine. Though… it’s nice to hear Veronica figured it out."

  David nodded, then glanced at the others. "Any more questions?"

  All: "No."

  David sat back in his chair, fingers steepled under his chin as he regarded Thomas thoughtfully.

  “Last week,” he said, “I asked you to look something up. Can you remind me what that was?”

  Thomas nodded, already anticipating the question. “You asked me to define a mutual benefit society and examine why they succeed or fail.”

  David gave a slight nod of encouragement. “And? What did you find?”

  Thomas leaned forward slightly, folding his hands as he spoke. “I found that mutual benefit societies generally fall into two categories. The first is organized around a central institution. The clearest example I found was the LDS Church and their short-lived experiment with the United Order. It was based on the idea of mutual support—everyone sharing resources and labor for the good of the whole.”

  He paused. “But it didn’t last. The balance between personal ownership and communal responsibility was hard to maintain. People had to learn how to share, but also how to maintain their individuality. That’s a pretty tough tension to navigate. Eventually, they abandoned it and went back to a more traditional tithing system.”

  David raised an eyebrow. “And the second kind?”

  “That model’s more like an insurance company. Members pay into a system that offers support later—usually in times of illness, unemployment, or death. The problem there is that in a major crisis—like a war or economic collapse—all the reserves can disappear at once. It works until it doesn’t.”

  David gave a quiet hum of agreement. “That’s not a bad summary. But tell me—why do you really think the United Order failed?”

  Thomas hesitated, thinking carefully before answering. “I don’t think belief alone was enough. For something like that to work, people need more than shared ideals—they need training in how reciprocal relationships work in practice. You can’t just expect people to be generous because they’re told to be.”

  He glanced at David, who gave no sign of agreement or disagreement.

  “And I think another problem was how closed the system was. Most of the economic activity happened within the community. That limited trade and growth. If members didn’t see benefits that reached beyond their immediate environment, it became harder to stay invested. People started looking out for themselves.”

  David finally nodded, slow and measured. “Good. You’re starting to see the deeper layers. Systems like that don’t fail because the vision was flawed—they fail because the groundwork wasn’t there. It’s one thing to dream of shared abundance. It’s another thing entirely to prepare people to live it.”

  Thomas gave a small, thoughtful nod, the wheels clearly still turning in his head.

  David turned toward the group, his gaze sweeping across the room.

  “Brothers, any questions for Thomas?”

  Eric raised a hand slightly, looking curious. “Where did you come across the United Order? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it.”

  Daniel gave a small chuckle. “That doesn’t surprise me, Eric. It wasn’t practiced very long. But the way Thomas described it—he’s not far off. For a quick overview, it’s actually pretty accurate.”

  He turned to Thomas with a glint of interest in his eyes. “So, if we think of ourselves as a mutual benefit society… how do you think we work?”

  Thomas hesitated only a moment, then spoke with quiet confidence.

  “Well, I can’t say for certain. But I can make a few educated guesses.”

  He sat up straighter, glancing at the faces around him. “First, I’d assume the barrier to entry is intentionally high—not just for tradition or formality, but as a filter. You want to weed out people whose self-interest outweighs their altruism. And since survival instincts naturally make people a little selfish, you have to create a system that flips the script.”

  David leaned in slightly, intrigued.

  Thomas continued. “So instead of dangling rewards, you make the path about voluntary service. No promises. No spotlight. Just the opportunity to show up for others. And then—before someone’s even a member—you give them the tools to reflect on their own life. Force them to examine their choices. Their priorities. And then you make them practice. Over and over, until the habits sink in.”

  Daniel’s eyes flicked to Eric, then back to Thomas. “Go on.”

  Thomas took a breath, his voice still calm but more assured now. “If I had to guess, I’d say you figured out a way to make the organization sustainable—by creating interdependence between the society and the broader business world. Based on the name Small Business Service Organization, I’d imagine the society acts as a kind of support infrastructure.”

  He looked to Daniel now. “Say I want to open a bookstore. I’d do the research, write up a business plan, and bring it to the SBSO. You’d have people who evaluate whether it’s viable—location, costs, market. If it checks out, you provide startup funds… maybe in exchange for partial ownership or a revenue-sharing agreement.”

  Eric’s eyebrows rose slightly, impressed.

  “But it doesn’t stop there,” Thomas added. “You’d have access to other member-run businesses. So, I’d get supplies from inside the network—furnishings, paper, maybe even local publishers. Same model would work for a donut shop, a tech service, or really anything. It’s like an economic web.”

  Daniel stared at him for a moment, then shook his head with a smile of disbelief. “Have you been poking around in my books?”

  Thomas raised his hands. “No. Just trying to figure out how things work.”