David didn’t know whether to laugh or cry over the sale of the dolls. There was a tremendous sense of relief that they would, probably, be able to build the sewing machine factory. On the other hand, Grandma’s dolls! Even if it wasn’t the whole collection, or even the largest part of the collection, still, Grandma’s dolls! And she was effectively committing the rest of the collection, on an as-needed basis. How do you respond when the queen gives you the crown jewels for your wild ass gamble? You can’t say: “No thanks, ma’am, it’s not worth it.”
The others, especially Sarah, felt somewhat the same. Sarah, being a girl, had gotten the tour of the dolls in a bit more detail than the guys. She knew that Mrs. Higgins could tell you precisely where and when she had gotten most of the dolls in her collection. Even if it was just “We were in the Goodwill, and there was the cutest little three-year-old there that day. With her mother’s permission, I bought her a baby doll, and these I got for me.” They weren’t just dolls, they were memories. How do you repay someone who sells their memories to invest in your dream?
July 20, 1631:
The sale of the dolls had been finalized. Now the company was legally formed. Since all the start-up capital had come from Delia’s dolls, the kids insisted that a majority share go to Delia. Brent, Trent, Sarah, and David each got ten percent, Delia got the rest. Delia turned around and gave Ramona and Dalton five percent each, and her grandchildren David, Donny, Milton, Mark, and Mindy, two percent each. Which meant that David ended up with twelve percent. She also gave Jeff and Gretchen five percent as a belated wedding present. Finally, for his help in finding the buyer for her dolls and negotiating the deal, she gave Johan five percent.
The gifts of shares were not entirely acts of generosity. They were also acts of politics. Dalton and Ramona had never gotten along. Dalton had felt, with some justification, that Ramona got more support from his parents than he did, and resented it. So Delia tried consciously to be somewhat even handed. She also wanted more people to have at least some interest in the success of the sewing machine company. Especially in the case of Jeff and Gretchen. She had figured out that Jeff and Gretchen were playing a much more active part in the political structure of Grantville than she was. Delia almost gave some to her parents, who were retired and living in Grantville, but after the ragging they gave her over the whole project, she didn’t. Instead, she gave it to Johan. She had realized he was a valuable resource for them all, and wanted to tie his loyalty to the family in a material way.
There was one other reason for the gifts that Delia thought long and hard about. She figured the thing most likely to kill the company was if the kids gave up on it, and the thing most likely to make them give up, was if they felt they had lost control. That their decisions, their actions, didn’t matter. She explained it to the kids as soon as she got them alone. “You know and I know that it’s unlikely any of the others will ever vote their shares,” she said. “Maybe Johan, but he’ll probably vote the way David tells him to.”
“I remember the concern you all had, that the grownups would take it away. Well, we won’t. As of now, the four of you can outvote me, and nobody can outvote you, without me on their side. This was your project in the beginning and it still is. I want that clear in your minds. You kids thought it up, you did the work, and more importantly, you will still be doing the work. If it is going to work, you’re the ones that will make it work. If it’s going to fail, well, that’s you too.” Delia grinned a very nasty grin. “Scary ain’t it?” She softened a bit “I’ll be here if you need advice. So will your parents. But this is yours.”