Othón

"Emilio had no specific purpose for his trip to Europe other than to gorge himself on all the pleasures he could find. And so he did. Accompanied by Othón, he traveled from one city to another, drinking, visiting nightclubs, and buying the company of prostitutes. At one point, while they were staying at the Palace Hotel in Madrid, they ran out of money. They were unsure how long it would take to receive funds from Emilio’s mother, so since he and Othón had been treated very well at a local brothel, they decided to ask the madam for help. As these charismatic young Mexicans were the favorites there, they were allowed to stay for a week, were fed, and had their wishes fulfilled free of charge, or at least on credit. From Madrid they went to Paris, Munich, and Vienna, sometimes accompanied by Novoa and Alemán Velasco."

"Although he had not yet turned 21, there were few restrictions in Emilio’s life. One of them was his father’s ban on acquiring a motorcycle, so, secretly, Emilio rode a powerful Indian Four lent to him by José de la Herrán Jr. Emilio continued with some business administration courses at the Technological Institute of Mexico. Nevertheless, like any rich kid, he didn’t worry about getting degrees. He also didn’t have much desire to work with his father; in fact, he resisted doing so. He trusted his abilities and wanted to succeed on his own, so obtaining a degree was utterly irrelevant. After his foray into selling encyclopedias with Othón—which, as Emilio would later admit, brought in a lot of money—the two friends began acquiring radio sets, with money that Emilio had borrowed from his mother. With another friend, Miguel Alemán Velasco, the president’s son, Emilio helped Othón start a business selling televisions."