Page 27 of Brick Wall
Ryan: Are you all good with having no dates?
I didn’t realize we were doing dates in the first place, especially since, as far as I know, we are all single. Although if Tristan told me he was dating someone for years, I wouldn’t be surprised. He’s a lot more private than my other brothers.
Tristan immediately sends a thumbs-up emoji, and my youngest brother Finn sends a GIF that essentially says yes through complicated measures for a laugh.
I actually didn’t know that Finn would be there. I guess it lines us perfectly with the few days off he gets. To be fair, though, I didn’t know I would attend the gala until last week.
We all work together on our family nonprofit, which our parents started when we were younger. My mom was the driving force behind our foundation, Moore Good. She is still a part of the foundation, but she is less involved now that she’s older and her children are fully capable of doing so.
We all run the foundation together, but to be completely honest, Tristan probably does most of the work, with Ryan a close second. I do help out, especially when volleyball isn’t in busy season, but it’s not my main focus.
“Many hands make light work,” my parents would say when we were younger and I find that sentiment true now that our whole family runs the nonprofit organization together while juggling many other commitments.
My father was a professional basketball player for his hometown team, the Boston Clovers, but only for a few short years. He was a bench player mostly, but he also won a championship in his second season. When he retired, he became our high school athletic director and math teacher.
It’s funny that both Tristan and Ryan followed in our father’sfootsteps. Tristan played basketball in college but was never drafted. He did take over for my dad as the high school athletic director once my dad retired. Ryan also played basketball and was drafted by the Boston Clovers, but only played for two seasons, before getting cut. He decided not to play basketball internationally or in different leagues. Instead, he bought some investment property in Boston and turned a pretty profit. He eventually invested in and started Moore Fitness, which has been his main focus ever since.
Both Finn and I never received the same basketball bug as our older siblings or father. Both my parents were very supportive of whatever we wanted to try. Finn took to baseball, and I discovered my love of volleyball in middle school.
It’s been a blessing to have the nonprofit to keep us connected over the years, especially when we were off at college or chasing other dreams.
It has grounded us and made us grateful for what we have. We love giving back to the community our family has been a part of for hundreds of years.
We’ve always had family here in Plymouth, dating back to theMayflower, and we are proud members of the Mayflower Society.
Our family enjoyed the area so much that we never left, probably. It’s an assumption because most of my family still live in the greater Boston area, mostly between Plymouth and Boston.
I love going home to my parents’ house because there’s so much history there. The house that was once a summer cottage by the Atlantic Ocean is now a beautiful colonial that has been passed down by generations.
I am so happy when I’m home. I also think it’s virtually impossible to be unhappy when you see and smell the ocean air. Plus, you can walk to downtown Plymouth quickly.
I forgot how much I miss being around my family when I moved away when I was younger. I went to college in North Carolina and then moved multiple times for different assistant coaching jobs before landing back home.
I love being back to assist with the foundation more. I was feeling a little guilty when I was away because I wasn’t helping as much, but now I’m able to help more.
Although, I could do without all the family foundation text messages, emojis, and GIFs. The current text chain is still active, and I decide to look at it.
Ryan: What are you all wearing to the gala?
Tristan: Clothes.
Finn: *sends a picture of himself in a dapper suit*
Ryan: That’s how it’s done, baby bro!
Ryan: Tristan, I expect the same level of enthusiasm.
Ryan: You too, Anita. I need pics.
Ryan only calls me Anita when he’s a special pain in my ass, like today, when I’m hungover and grumpy. I also know zero fucks about what I’m wearing.
Tristan: *sends a picture of himself flipping off the camera*
Annie: *sends the same exact picture of Tristan flipping off the camera*
Ryan: *sends a gif of a nun with the wordsshame, shame, shame*
Annie: I have zero ideas yet. I’ll let you know.
