Learning How to Live - Prologue. Prologue

Roan caught himself and shook his head as he stood back up, recovering from being punched in the side of the head. His ear was burning and his jaw felt tight but nothing serious. He looked Jared in the eye.

"Get out of my way! That's my wife, my family in there. You can't keep me from seeing them." Jared pushed against him again and Roan stepped his foot behind the bigger man and tripped his opponent back onto the sloped pavement of his drive way. He tried to keep Jared from hitting his head on the way down but Jared still groaned as his hip hit the pavement.

"Jare' your wife doesn't want to talk to you right now. You're drunk and she is really pissed at you. Just let her calm down and you go sober up, OK?" He really didn't want to fight Jared. the man was taller at 6'1 and outweighed Roan by at least fifty pounds of, mostly, muscle. Roan was no slouch but at 5'9 and just under two hundred and twenty pounds, this wasn't an ideal fight. Thankfully, Roan was better practiced in grappling and wrestling than Jared so he was sure he'd win any serious fight but he didn't want to think about how bad of a fight that would be.

"You can't keep me from my family!" The bigger man didn't even bother to get up; he'd sat up and pulled his knees to his chest. He was just shouting and glaring at Roan from the ground.

With a sigh, Roan squatted before Jared on the ground. "No, one is trying to keep you from your family. They will be safe here; you know I won't let anything happen to them, right? Just go home Jared. You screwed up and your wife is pissed; just let her have a bit of space so she can calm down. I'm sure you two will be all better after a day or two to calm down and talk it out, alright?" He stood back up and extended his hand to his friend.

Jared's meaty paw grabbed his hand and Roan pulled him up. Jared wrapped him in a sweaty bear hug as he caught his balance. He pushed his forehead against Roan's and growled, "You'd better not let anyone take my family."

"I promise," he replied as the blond released him, turned, and staggered a little down the slope of the driveway. He watched Jared walk down the street, as the man never turned his face from the house before he walked out of sight. He'd have a good walk up the hill before he got back to he and Cheryl's neighborhood.

Roan brushed himself off and winced as he looked at some of the road rash on his palm from early on in their altercation. They'd been out their on Roan's front yard for the last thirty minutes as Jared tried to, first call his wife outside and then tried to push his way into the house. Roan glanced up at the living room window to see Cheryl grimacing and looking out at the street. He turned key in the front door and stepped inside the foyer.

"I'm sorry about that," Cheryl said without turning from the window.

"Don't worry about it. My house is always your house. I never thought it would be a refuge from Jared but...we roll with the punches." He smiled and tried to make light of the somber atmosphere in the room. He kicked off his shoes and re-locked the door. "I need to go wash the gravel and sweat off of me. Can I get you anything first? Are you OK?"

She shook her head. "No, thank you; I'm alright. Go, shower; I'll find something for us to eat."

Roan nodded and walked over to the stairs.

"It was like watching clowns dance more than punches." He heard her chuckling to herself as he climbed the stairs. He grinned and let it slide as he made his way to a much needed hot shower.