Part 19: Brother Harvey Ambrose

"Brother Harvey! You need to stop." I desperately said as he started to choke Joey, lifting him off the ground. "Brother Harvey. Please let him go." I tugged on his shirt and he glanced at me. His furious expression turned into a sad one.

Brother Harvey Ambrose is a tall guy with jet black hair, navy blue eyes, and a strong build. He is a seminarian who wants to give back to the Church for saving his life. Brother Harvey was a gang member from the city and worked for a boss that owned a casino. He was one of the men who were hired to kill the debtors and the people who never returned the money that they borrowed from the boss.

One day, brother Harvey was ambushed on his way home and a kind priest found him next to the dumpster in the alleyways when he was shopping for food with the volunteers for the Church's annual feeding program. The priest who found him is one of our Church priests, Fr. Joao.

Fr. Joao took him to the convent and all the staff of the convent helped brother Harvey recover.

Now, Brother Harvey is still part of the casino staff but he's now in charge of the finances and bookkeeping. He wanted to give time to the Church and help the people in need. He might not proceed to become a priest but only just a seminarian because he said that he has committed too much sin and murder to be one.

I first met Brother Harvey on the Christmas Eve mass where he was playing Joseph and I played as Mary in the live representation of the Nativity. At first, I thought he was serious, dangerous, ill-tempered, and violent but he proved me wrong in so many ways.

"Brother Harvey" I'm now desperate. He's choking the life out of Joey.

Brother Harvey closed his eyes and took a deep breath in before letting Joey go. Joey hits the cement road with a thud. Brother Harvey pulls me behind him as Joey picks himself up from the ground, holding his throat while trying to normalize his breathing.

"You call yourself a seminarian." Joey looked at Brother Harvey with a glare that could kill.

"I'm just doing my job to help those in need." Brother Harvey cracks his knuckles while saying that line.

Joey came up to him and stared him down. "She didn't need your damn help." He spat those words like they were venom. "Why don't you go back to praying or something, you criminal." Joey said before walking away.

He looked back for the last time and smiled sweetly at me. "I'll come back for you, my sweet Caroline." He blew a kiss my way and I just hid behind Brother Harvey. We were silent and stood still until we couldn't see Joey anymore.

Brother Harvey turned around and sighed as he rested his hands on my shoulders, looking at me seriously in the eyes. "Are you alright, Caro?"

I nodded, still processing what just happened a while ago. I just stayed silent as I stared blankly at the road, still nervous if Joey would show up again.

Brother Harvey sighed and pulled me in for a hug. "I don't know what I'll do if you get hurt." He pats my head and whispered that I'll be okay. "If this keeps happening...you'd never want to get near another guy again."

Brother Harvey knows the reason why I get nervous around boys especially older men. I was relieved that he had an open mind.

"Luckily you're always saved before something bad happens...like that day." He would always convince me that I'm not dirty. Good thing I got away before anything traumatizing could happen but my first kiss is gone because of the worst reason.

"I...I'm clean...aren't I?" I ask Brother Harvey, my voice breaking. "I'm clean..." I whisper over and over. Brother Harvey pressed his lips and gave me a worried look that would make everyone not believe that he was once a hitman.

Brother Harvey pulled me into a comforting hug and whispered the same thing over and over.

"Yes, you are." He smiled gently.

"You are clean."