ambuscade

\AM-buh-skayd\

noun

: a trap in which concealed persons lie in wait to attack by surprise; also : the persons so concealed or their position

This word is Middle French via Old Italian via the Latin (surprise!) word "bosco" meaning "forest." In the forest, hiding, preparing for attack. Now mostly used in the form of "ambush." But I so enjoy the sound of AMBUSCADE as I say it to myself—

ambuscade—

it's quiet, I want to whisper it in an ear. I suppose if I'm hiding, a whisper would be more appropriate.

I have ducked in my share of AMBUSCADES, I suppose. I have hidden talent behind modesty, audacity behind bashfulness, sex behind prudishness, love behind friendship. One time I hid under a garage awning holding a large branch with a old doll tied to the end of it up to a bedroom window. I may never be forgiven for this last one.

Sometimes, I surprise myself. I act out of character, coming out from behind the AMBUSCADE of my own personality: I am honest—really honest—in a place other than in a piece of writing; I cry in a movie; I admit I really love people; or I forget what I was dwelling on, even for only a moment, and it is the greatest revelation I can muster.