CHAPTER 67
Louise phoned as Edgar and Eldred were sitting down to eat scrambled eggs on toast. Mildred was lying on the sofa, too tired to want a meal. She opened her eyes when the phone rang.
'I'll get it,’ said Eldred.
'Eldred!’ said Louise. 'How did it go?’
'All right, thanks,’ said Eldred. 'It wasn't much like the Oprah Winfrey show, though. They said it was meant to be but they didn't invite any experts and they didn't involve the audience nearly so much. And the presenters weren't nearly so shrewd. But it went okay.’
'Good,’ she said. 'Did they ask you a lot of questions?’
'Yes,’ he said. 'Do you want to speak to my dad?’
'No,’ she said. 'You'll do. I've got some more good news. I've managed to set up an interview with that project manager from the German chemical company, the one who talked about your machine on the local news - remember?’
'I didn't actually meet him,’ said Eldred. 'He just talked about me.’
'Right. Well, now I've arranged a meeting and some of the press are interested. I don't know yet if we can get a TV crew to cover it too.’
Eldred didn't want to hurt her feelings when she had been so helpful. He said cautiously, 'I think things have changed a bit, actually, Louise.’
'What do you mean?’
'I think my dad's going to let me go to another school.’ He looked across at Edgar for confirmation. Edgar nodded.
'That's good news,’ Louise agreed, 'but what does it change?’
'We won't need any more publicity,’ Eldred explained, 'because the Head isn't going to make us pay the fees, just the uniforms and extras and things. And Mum has a job now, you see.’
From the sofa, Mildred, her eyes still closed, smiled peacefully.
'This isn't about your school fees, Eldred,’ said Louise. 'It's about finding a buyer to develop your recycling process.’
'Oh, I know,’ Eldred affirmed, 'but we won't need the newspapers and the TV people. I don't mean you, of course,’ he added hastily. 'You're always very welcome.’
'Do you mean you don't want me to set up this meeting?’
Eldred hoped he was only imagining that Louise sounded annoyed with him.
'Of course I'd like to sell the machine,’ he said, 'but do I actually have to meet the person? Couldn't he write to me? I mean, he talked about me before without meeting me, didn't he? It's the processing plant he's interested in.’
'No,’ she said, 'it isn't. There's a difference between a company buying the rights to a new experimental product, which is a high risk and will involve them in major capital expenditure with no guarantee of the saleability of the results, and an individual project manager becoming intrigued by an innovative process developed by a nine-year old boy. It gives the whole procedure an added bite.’
'You mean I'm like an added gimmick that might make him buy the patent from me, when he mightn't if it belonged to somebody else?’
'Right. They're bombarded with people trying to find a market for their inventions, Eldred. If you have a novelty value, don't knock it, use it, for God's sake. It could make all the difference between success and obscurity.’
'Oh, right,’ Eldred said. 'Well, you'd better speak to my dad.’
'Wait a minute,’ said Louise. 'What happened to all your enthusiasm, Eldred? I'm doing this for you, you know. Don't you want to be a famous inventor at nine years old?’
'It would be nice,’ Eldred assented. 'But what I'd like more than anything is to start at this new school. I don't mind missing time off school now but when I go to the new one I won't have time for publicity; I'll be learning things. And if Mum has to take more time off to take me to places she might lose her job and she doesn't want to.’
'I'll take you to this one,’ said Louise. 'Tell your mum.’
Eldred sighed. 'Could I just meet the man?’ he asked. 'Without all the cameras and the interviews? Or does he want publicity too?’
'Eldred,’ said Louise, 'this meeting is meant to be mutually beneficial - that means it benefits everyone. Herr Wolfmann gets a bit of attention for his company and for himself, for being sharp enough to spot a valuable invention even when it originates from a child; you get a boost to sell your machine and maybe a market for your future inventions ... see?’
'How about you?’ said Eldred.
'Pardon?’
'You said mutually beneficial,’ Eldred reminded her. 'How would it benefit you?’
'I get to set up the press conference,’ said Louise.
'But how does that benefit you?’ Eldred pursued.
'The German company will pay me to do it,’ she said, after a slight pause, 'because I'm their contact with you. And it also means I renew my contacts with the newspapers and magazines involved, so they're more likely to take a favourable look at the next article or idea I submit to them for publication.’
'Oh, I see,’ Eldred said. He went quiet.
'So?’ said Louise. 'Is the answer yes?’
'You'll have to speak to my dad,’ said Eldred. 'I don't want to hinder your career or anything, Louise, and we're all very grateful indeed for what you've done.’
Edgar held out his hand for the phone. 'Give that to me.’
'Here's Dad,’ said Eldred.
'What's the problem?’ said Edgar into the receiver. He listened. 'Is this man serious,’ he said, 'about buying the patent?’
Mildred sat up and watched him, as though trying to gauge from his face what was being said at the other end of the phone.
'Listen to me,’ Edgar said. 'We're all grateful to you for arranging all this publicity for Eldred and his invention, but he's only a child and it's time he got on with his schooling. If he's made into a little celebrity, he won't be accepted by his new classmates, will he? It'll make it harder for him to settle in.’
Another silence.
'I see,’ Edgar said, 'but we'll need to discuss this as a family. If Eldred's invention is as good as everyone seems to think, it will sell, won't it, with or without the publicity? What Eldred needs is to be left to get on with some proper schoolwork. Yes, I understand what you're saying. Of course, yes, of course. Tomorrow evening. Very well. After seven, then we'll have finished our tea. Goodbye.’
'What have you fixed?’ asked Eldred.
'Miss Palmer is coming tomorrow evening to hear our decision.’
'I don't know if I want to see her,’ said Eldred. 'I'm fed up with publicity. She only wants to get me to do more.’
Mildred took away his plate of cold, uneaten scrambled egg. 'A nice hot bath for you,’ she said. 'You're overtired, Eldred. It's been a long day. You can have milk and ginger biscuits in bed.’
Eldred allowed himself to be comforted and led away. Even the inventor of an industrial process which had aroused the interest of an international company could get tired of media attention and prefer privacy and ginger biscuits sometimes.
Genius Page 67