Trick Table

I took a friend to an appointment at a physical therapy rehab center this morning. Since I hadn’t had any coffee yet, I stopped at a store attached to a service station and picked up a large cup of coffee . When we arrived at the rehab center, we were given forms to fill out, so I sat down next to my friend and put my coffee on a nearby table. That was a mistake.

At the right is a picture of the table. I didn’t really study the table before placing my coffee on it, and, since there was a large box on the table for collecting surplus cell phones, I placed the coffee near the edge. Immediately, the coffee cup fell to the floor and emptied its contents on the carpet. Only then did I notice that the table had a curved edge.

I felt silly, but I also felt deceived by a trick table.