The neighbors looked over upon hearing Arthur’s question. There was a metal lump that resembled a dog but was much uglier, something none of them had ever seen before. Everyone was surprised.
One of the neighbors, Edgar Klopp, who had just teased Keegan, laughed loudly. “Arthur, did your great-grandson-in-law bring you a toy? It looks like a real dog, but it’s just too ugly. Why didn’t he get one with fur? If you put a speaker in front of your house and play dog barks on loop, it’d scare a lot of people off.”
Everyone joined in the laughter. Then, Arthur looked at Edgar and said, “I’m fine with it. At least he thought of bringing something over for me. Your grandson has been working for so many years, yet he hasn’t brought you anything at all.”
Arthur’s words caught Edgar off guard as he immediately defended his grandson. “Young people in the city have a lot of stuff to deal with and are very stressed.”
Arthur replied, “Yeah. Well, the one in my family brought me a furless metal dog.”
Edgar’s eyelid twitched. Then, he said in a resolute tone, “We can’t expect the younger generation to do everything for US. It’s not like we’re useless.”
Arthur spoke again, “He just brought me a furless metal dog.”
Edgar stopped speaking.
“A furless metal dog.”
Edgar’s expression turned displeased. “Shut up already.”
These two old men had been comparing since they were young, first comparing wives and children, and now even comparing grandson and great-grandson.
However, they were just quibbling. It was just a little amusement for the old men, never leading to any actual argument.
Stella pulled Keegan lightly, signaling him to say something.
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