Clearing the Grid

I climbed onto the dining table and spotted a thick kraft-paper coffee loyalty card resting beside a set of keys. The card was printed with a neat two-by-five grid of geometric stamp circles, but the sixth circle was hanging half-punched from its torn perforation, sticking up at an awkward angle. I walked right up, caught the brass edge of a house key with one clip hand to brace my weight, and brought my flat plastic sole firmly down onto the loose flap. One solid stomp snapped the paper tab clean through onto the wood grain. Now the row of open circles runs smooth and uninterrupted across the card.