They Are Lovely

We took Buddy and Bruno for a walk to the park in the afternoon. 

A group of ladies are walking just in front of us as we approach our front gate, the older one asks if Buddy is old, or if he is just slow.

“Well,” I say. “I guess it’s a bit of both. He’s nearly 12 years old.”

“Oh,” she says. “So, he’s middle-aged.” She smiles, self-deprecatingly.

“Well,” I say. “That, actually, makes him nearly 84 years old.”

“I hear 80 is the new 60 she says. “Oh you have two.” She sees Max standing on the front Veranda.

“Yes, we do. We have two,” I say.

“They are enchanting,” she says. 

She smiles. She hurries away, walking backwards, almost, “They are lovely,” to catch up to her friends who keep walking. “You are lucky to have such companions.”