Family sponges

      I guess every family has one or more of hangers on who contribute little to nothing but are always asking for something. They pray on a soft-hearted (what used to be called Christian) family with no shame or remorse. Russ Higgins has already been mentioned and in my family my Dad would invite a lonely old horse-player named Coonie to Sunday dinner and then I would have to drive him all the way back to National boulevard where he kept an apartment. The drives seemed interminable as a 19 year old wannabee hippy attempted to make conversaton with an unemployed one-eyed  sixty-something gambler. In the before times BC let him stay out in the rumpus room for a few days that turned into about five months with him eating meals with us and taking up a space we wanted to keep for ourselves. He became known as "the Man Who Came to Dinner."  Looking back this was good charitable gestures by my Dad to help those who did not have the good fortune we had. Being selfish little bastards we resented anything that interfered with us being spoiled little shits. In the Sheehy solar system there was the dreaded Brother Henry who glommed onto Lawrence and managed to show up anytime there was free booze or a hot meal to be had from any Sheehy. To make matters worse Bro. Henry also was constantly begging for rides to far off places where he could put the bite on other "christian" folks who wanted to be kind to the clergy. I believe it was Evan who dubbed him Brother Sponge since he always needed a favor and offered nothing in return but promises to pray for the unfortunate kid who had to drive him to San Pedro or Pacoima or Santa Monica where he sought free lodgings with another rectory. There was one more particularly sad case of a guy (may need some Kevin help here) just called Smitty? He also would help himself to the hooch and when well-oiled begin asking for a ride home which was out in mid-city somewhere. This Smitty was obviously gay but no one would say the word back in that day so he lisped a bit and begged for transportation. I believe it was Kent and Greg who did give him a ride to his apartment where he had decorated the walls with clippings from cheap celebrity magazines. He had certain notables that he was stuck on and as he described them to the astonished boys he refered to them as Mister Carson, Mister Grant, Miss Garland etc. The creepiness of the rooms overtook the cousins and they politely smiled, nodded and beat it out there as fast as possible.