The Mischievous Adventures of Joe Costa: Part 1

I've decided to do something a little different with this post.  I grew up listening to stories about my Grandpa Joe's childhood pranks.  This is going to be the first of many stories he told my mom and her siblings, who then passed them down to me.  I was only 8 when he passed away, so I didn't get to hear these told by him, but they say he was a captivating story teller.  All these stories are true accounts from when my Grandpa grew up in the 1940's. 

The Leg Wrist Watch

I'm not sure how old my Grandpa was when this story took place, but I do know he attended a small school house in Ohio and his teacher was also the principal.  There was a mystery surrounding this stern woman who always wore a floor length black dress with silver buttons down the middle.  It came all the way up to her neck and the sleeves down to her wrists.  Her hair was always up in a tight bun.  Since she was the principle, she had to ring all the bells for the school to signal different times of the day.  The mystery was, how did she know what time to ring the bells?  The only way people told time back then was to wear a watch, but the students never saw her wearing one.

One day, my Grandpa was being his typical rowdy self.  He was disruptive to the class, so the teacher told him to leave the room and go stand in the hallway where she could see him.  He left the room, but after a while, he wandered around the school.  Soon he heard the teacher calling his name.  "Joe Costa, you get back here!  Where are you?"  My Grandpa hid underneath a spiral staircase as the teacher began walking up the steps.  He watched in shock as she lifted up her dress, revealing what he always called a "leg wrist watch" on her thigh.  He had solved the mystery!  She didn't see him as he ran back to the classroom.

He quickly scribbled something on the blackboard and returned to his seat.  Several moments later, the teacher returned and was horrified to discover what he had drawn.  She stared at the drawing of herself lifting her skirt and checking the time on her leg wrist watch as the rest of the students roared in laughter.

This is a drawing my husband, Brian, did for me so I could show something similar to what my Grandpa drew.

This was one of my favorite stories about my Grandpa.  There are many more I'll be sharing.  I feel these stories are priceless and should not be forgotten.