Mr. and Mrs. Wendell lavished their praise rather more generously, almost uncomfortably so. Certainly enough to produce resentment in Judy the Younger. Well, more resentment. The real focus of Judy’s resentment was that she wasn’t getting to play.
They did suggest several small changes, and one monster.
The monster was this: Normally, in a project like this, you would make your estimate and add say, twenty percent for the unforeseen. In this case, because of the fluidity of the situation, and the large number of unknowns, they suggested a fudge factor of one hundred to two hundred percent of the original estimate.
June 26, 1631: Delia Higgins’ House
They met again for a formal presentation of the whole package. David was the primary presenter.
“The first and most important point, I guess, is that we’re not trying to just build sewing machines, not anymore. That’s sort of what we started out with. But Sarah pretty much put paid to that notion even before we were firmly settled on sewing machines. What we want to build is a company that will build sewing machines. The company will have two major branches. Outsourcing for parts that can be made by the down-time craftsmen, and a factory that will have an internal technological level somewhere between 1850 and 1920. With a few gadgets from later.
“We decided on outsourcing rather than hiring down-time workers…”
And they were off. Over the next three hours David went through the organizational chart, cost analysis, machines and tools needed, potential market, the works. He called upon Sarah, Brent and Trent as needed, to explain details and answer questions.
Their parents were genuinely impressed. The Wendells had seen the money end, but not really the technical end. The Partows had seen the technical end, but not the money end. And neither had seen how it all fit together. There was room in the plan for mistakes, and ways to handle it if things went wrong.
While the Wendells and the Partows had jobs, they didn’t have much in the way of available capital. Both their houses were primarily owned by the bank, and regardless of the kids’ good work, it had to be acknowledged that this was a risky venture.
They would allow their kids to participate, but could offer little more than that. Delia had been prepared for that response and was willing to support the project. She would attempt to get a loan. Fletcher Wendell would support the loan to the extent he could, but he could not offer too much hope.
June 30, 1631: Delia Higgins’ House
David was sitting at the dinner table. “They’re going to fight a battle Grandma,” he said, “Not ten miles from here. At that nearby town called Badenburg.”
“Well, are you upset or pleased?” Delia wasn’t criticizing, she was just helping him figure it out. It was one of the things about Grandma that David liked. She let him feel about things the way he felt about them, not the way he was “supposed” to feel about them.
“I don’t really know.” He gave the matter some thought. “I figure, the battle itself will be a cakewalk, and it’s kind of exciting. What it means, though, that bugs me some. We’re in the middle of a war! I worry about Mom. She’s not good at tough situations.”
Delia suddenly realized that he was right. War! With refugees, armies and bandits, and generally desperate people. “These are the times that try men’s morals,” when the rules get forgotten. They had a house full of things of value and a storage rental lot with lots of steel containers. People would want what was in the containers—for that matter, they would want the containers for the steel. How could she have gone a month without realizing it?
Before the Ring of Fire, Grantville had been a low crime area. They had been able to get by with a chain link fence and a padlock. But now the value of much that was in those storage buildings had gone up immeasurably, and as for crime, they might as well be in the Wild West, or next door to a crack house. It had been pure dumb luck that they had not already been looted and Ramona killed in the bargain.