gun shots for fun

Last Monday evening I was alarmed by the sound of what I thought were gun shots. There were four shots (?) within a span of about five minutes. I peered out of my window to see if there were any clues to what was going on. There weren't. The last terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia took place many years ago. The government has done a good job in curbing terrorism. You can still see the security measures in place. The security barriers around key installations and compounds inhabited by Westerners, the prime targets of terrorists, and the check points on the highways are reminders that in spite of the prevailing peace, there is no room for complacency.

The next day I told a colleague that I heard some disturbing noise the previous night. Before I could say what sort of noise, he asked whether they were gun shots. He told me that guns are sometimes fired for fun during wedding celebrations. And I thought such things could only happen in Pakistan!