Gunfire

Years ago, in Paris, at a business dinner with colleagues from other countries, I was asked, as the only American, about gun violence in the U.S. I said that I had never once seen or heard gunfire in any city. They scoffed, “This cannot be!” On my return, I shared my uncertainty with an acquaintance who lived in a poor neighborhood. He invited me to his home. After dinner, we sat on his porch. Evening came and then I heard it, a distant … crack! … crack! … crack! My friend nodded and said, “If it gets close, we’ll go back in.”