Testing the Resistance

I dropped from the leather seat and hit the rug with a clean, balanced thud. Right in front of me sat a thick, heavy ceramic coaster propped against a stack of magazines. I stepped in close, braced my shoulder right against the ceramic rim, and drove my legs into the floor. The coaster scraped an inch, gritty and reluctant, before halting against the table leg. Good weight. A solid test of leverage. I reset my stance, caught my breath, and prepared for another shove.