"I need a washer," Arthur said, patting the cold lid of the GE machine. "A simple one. My last one lasted twenty years. This one has more buttons than a space shuttle."

Arthur paused. He had, in fact, forgotten a load of towels just last Tuesday. He looked at the price tag, then back at Toby. "Is it reliable? I don’t want to see you again in two years."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Why on earth does my washing machine need to talk to the internet? Is it going to start a blog?"

"Then you want this," Toby said, tapping the control panel. "It’s got Microban antimicrobial technology. Keeps the tub from smelling like... well, wet basset hound. Plus, it has built-in WiFi."

The fluorescent lights of the Best Buy showroom hummed a low, steady drone. Arthur stood in Aisle 4, his eyes locked onto the gleaming white drum of a GE High-Efficiency Top Load washer. It was pristine, silent, and entirely too modern for a man who still used a flip phone.

Toby smiled, leaning against the adjacent dryer. "I get that a lot. But this GE is a legend. It’s got the Sanitize cycle. Do you have pets? Kids?"

Toby laughed. "Not quite. It sends a ping to your phone when the cycle is done. No more forgotten, soggy clothes smelling like mildew because you got distracted by the game."