Page 63 of Aperture

“He’s a good boy,” he says, as he proceeds to wrestle the bone out of Milo’s mouth. I watch them roll around on the floor for five minutes before putting a stop to the lovefest.

“Are we actually leaving anytime today, Wyatt?”

He jumps up and tries to wipe the dog hair off his jeans. “Yep. Let’s roll,” he says. He’s driving a different car today. It looks like some sort of unmarked squad car.

“Where’s the Mustang?” I ask.

“She’s at the station. It’s easier to put boxes of ammo and stuff in this one.”

“She?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes. She,” he responds. “I helped rebuild that car with my dad and his buddy about 10 years ago. She is special.”

“I get that,” I say. “My grandpa actually really liked learning about guns. He loved to read about the history of guns and rifles. He’d be proud of me today.”

“That is really cool,” he exclaims. We drive for about ten minutes until we get to a fence just outside of our own small airport.

“This is a gun range?” I ask. Wyatt punches some numbers into the keypad and the gate starts to open.

“This is one we use to practice. Expecting something fancier?” he questions.

“Expecting something indoors,” I reply and Wyatt chuckles.

He parks, and we get out of the car and head to the trunk. He opens it and pulls out some fancy earmuffs, a box full of bullets, and a shiny black gun.

“This is a gun,” he begins, and I roll my eyes. He chooses to ignore it and continues. “Specifically, a Glock 17. It’s a 9mm. It should be easy for you to shoot, but there’s no traditional safety on this gun, so you have to be very careful.”

I make a move to grab it, and the man flicks me in the forehead.

“Ouch, you dick,” I exclaim.

“You aren’t allowed to touch this weapon until we go over the rules,” he says seriously.

“OK, but after we go over the rules, I may choose to use it on you,” I say as I rub my forehead.

“Fair enough,” he responds.

“Rule number 1- All guns are always loaded. No exceptions. That is how you will treat any weapon you are around.”

I nod in understanding.

“Rule number 2- Never point the muzzle at anything you're not willing to destroy.” He points to the muzzle to make sure I understand what he’s saying.

“Rule number 3 - Your finger sits straight until your sights are on the target and you've made a conscious decision to shoot.”

“They don’t do that in the movies,” I offer sarcastically.

“Millie, I swear to Go….”

“I’m just kidding. Geez. I get it. Keep going.”

The vein in his temple is threatening to explode. It’s nice to know I have the same infuriating effect on him that he has on me.

“Rule number 4 - Line of sight. Line of target. That means that you need to be aware of what is behind your target. You are responsible for everything you hit.”

“I understand.”

“These are noise-canceling,” he says as he shows me the headphone/earmuff things. “You can turn them on and still hear people talking but it will mute the sound of the weapon firing.”