It Will Save You One Day

It was summer 1996. Sweltering. Idle morning day at work then suddenly my boss sir Max pulled me out and told be we will be meeting one of the richest men in the world (according to Fortune Magazine and media). Lucky to do their small ad campaign for land reclamation projects along Manila Bay. I didn't guess since it was already a topic on our previous meetings.  Tan Yu of Asia World Corp., father of Bien Bien Roxas, the corporate dragon lady of their expanding real estate business. "So we will meet Bien Bien too sir"? "No, just Mr. Tan Yu". "Great!"

So we arrive early at one of their new buildings (Cleveland and Washington Towers) under construction along the bay. At the doorstep we wait. Soon, 2 cars pull in. One a cream Mercedes Benz. Wow I see him. Assisted by a personal bodyguard. He was limping a bit.

Boss-to-boss meetings while I was invited in to listen along with our Accounts Head, Kathy. Wondered why of all, my boss asked me to join their meeting and I was just a junior. 

In the middle of the meeting, Mr. Tan Yu, a bit frail but sharp with details, tells of his huge real estate projects. Then, deliberately or not, he drops a coin. One peso coin. It rolls under us and he slowly tells everyone he will pick it up. So he did. That's when he said, "always pick up coins whether dropped or not, old or not, dirty or not. It will save you one day."

Then the meeting began. The next year, the Asian Crisis took over. Stocks plunge and economy weakens. His flagship Asia World dips. We lose a valuable client.

He must have held on to a coin. And I can relate.