After retiring, Gene Maness moved to Keller, Texas. Then, after a couple of years of mowing his lawn and loafing he decided to get back to a side job that he had for several years which was owning and managing rental properties. He started looking around and found some good deals in Fort Worth in the hospital district where budding medical doctors went to school and served their internships. Medical students didn’t have much time for parties and tearing up their apartments. Also, Mom and Dad would pony up the money to rent a condo on an annual basis.

Gene found a condo complex full of medical students and the units were selling at reasonable prices. One deal seemed to lead to another and I think Gene ended up with five units. He was happy now that he could find handyman type stuff to do that would enhance his investments and give him a project now and then.

Gene decided that the bathroom floor in one of his units needed to be replaced so he spent a few days shopping for the tile and tools. He got all the stuff together and took off one morning for Fort Worth. Gene didn’t like the speed and crowded conditions on the Interstate (I-35) so he elected to take a relaxing drive down Main Street which runs north to south all the way through Fort Worth.

It was a warm and pretty morning and Gene had the windows rolled down on his pickup. He was driving in the right-hand lane, closest to the curb when the light changed in front of him and he had to stop. There was a scantily dressed woman standing on the curb, obviously a prostitute. She stepped over to Gene’s truck, poked her head in the window, and said “Can I do anything for you?” Gene looked her straight in the eye and replied “Not unless you can lay tile!”

Dave Thomas
December 7, 2013