HORS DE COMBAT

February 9, 2010

Hors de combat
\’or-de-kon-‘bä\ adj or adv : out of combat : disabled*

It is ironic that my Page-A-Day Calendar by Workman Publishing should mention a car in the “Did You Know” Section for this particular word. I have definitely felt stranded and desolate without my reliant mode of transportation for the past week, but alas, it is not about me, but my beloved Acura.
It was a couple days before Christmas and I was on my way up to my parents’ house in the Poconos. It is a very long drive on a day when one’s car is operating impeccably, so this day, when my car started to emit troublesome rumbling noises, I just relied on prayer to get me to my destination safely. For the next week, amid the holiday cheer and celebration, my car was not the top priority. Perhaps it should have been.
Each week, the noise steadily grew worse and I knew that I could put it off no longer and that it was time to bring my car to the shop; every time this thought materialized however, it was followed by the ever famous talent of procrastination and the car never made it up the street to the mechanic’s.
A few weeks ago however, things came to a screeching halt – literally. I was asked to work in Stamford and during the drive my car was anything but quiet, the noises being nothing out of the ordinary. It was not until my drive home that my brakes completely failed and I had to resort to driving at 10 miles an hour with my hazards on; I felt like my father when he’s about to make a left turn! I knew it was time to get the car to the shop, grappling with the fact that not only would this mean that the car would be hors de combat but that my life would be as well.

* letter “e” is upside down producing sound of “uh”