WHAT'S YOUR STORY?? MEET CHANTAY

Meet Chantay:


This hopeless romantic grew up believing that her mother had mind-reading/super-hearing powers , because "she always knew, or had some idea of what I was about to do."
"It never occured to me that I was the youngest of four, and that one of my siblings had probably already tried to do many, if not all of the same things. A lot of times when I thought I was being secretive and whispering, she overheard everything I was saying, because I just really did not know how to whisper."

When Chantay was in 7th grade, her friends decided to smoke before school. They planned it out and assigned each person a supply that they were to bring. Vanessa was supposed to sneak cigarettes, Lucille had gum, and Chantay stocked up on matches. The morning of the great smokescapade, as Chantay was leaving the house, her mother said, " Have a good day... and if I ever catch you smoking I will make you eat the ashes."
'Nuff said. Chantay did not meet up with her friends, and her mother's extrasensory persona went live: "I was convinced that my mother was a mind-reading/ super-hearing woman."

Now, all grown up, Chantay is a teacher. If she asked her students, she's sure they would confirm that she had inherited the ability to read minds because, "I always know what is going on. If they are about to tell me something, I say that I'm already aware, and they can't understand how...just like the way my mom knew with me."

"The truth is, my students have also never mastered the art of whispering, and they assume that when they're talking around me, I have my head buried in paperwork, so I'm not listening. They know nothing about multitasking, and have no idea that I hear everything they say, whether it's good or bad, without looking up. Most of the time I intervene before the drama happens. They act like they hate it, but I'm sure they are thanking me later...just not to my face."

To most, Chantay is a fun loving, free spirit. She attributes that to her parents: "If the gift of gab is a power, then I got that from my mom. If humor is too, then I inherited that from my dad."









Those abilities landed her a ticket to Superbowl XLVII where she was seen holding up a handwritten sign:



... and after a bit of Mardi Gras fun, she took off for Trinidad where she is presently dancing and mocking the East Coast blizzard (and this writer!) from the comfort of a 90 degree beach.



I asked her what she thinks about when she is talking to people. Her mischievous smile is always the same, and it made me question what goes on behind it.

She answered: "When I was a waitress and had extremely annoying costumers, I would wonder if they have friends, or why would they come out the house looking the way that they did at the time...then I would start to wonder if when I go out to restaurants, do the waitresses think the same things about me?!"

I pressed a little bit more. There's an eternally romantic side to Chantay that sometimes gets lost in the KAFE CASTROesque public persona she presents:



Like what you see? To read the rest, and to find out who killed Chantay's boyfriend, go to:
http://www.readsuki.com/whats-your-story/

KIDS TODAY

One day, a few years ago, I picked up my daughter from school. She immediately handed me a note. She hung her head and said, "The teacher told me to give you this."

It said:
DEAR, (long space) MRS. WINN
ISABELLA WAS RUNNING IN THE HALLS TODAY. WE (who is "we"??) WANTED TO WRITE AND TELL YOU THAT SHE IS A BAD GURL.
LOVE,
MRS. SLOMAN

It was written in my 7 year old daughter's handwriting......


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I was playing colors/shapes BINGO en espanol with my Preschool and Kindergarten students, when I noticed one of the kids slip something into his mouth and begin chewing. I immediately flew over to his seat and stopped the game when I asked him what was in his mouth. He shook his head while saying nothing. Again I asked and he silently shook his head, a little more forcefully this time. Worried that he was going to choke on a small button or something, I got a paper towel and told him to spit it into the paper. He did so without resistance, and when I looked for the object of the controversy, I saw a green boogie....


CF Winn is the award-winning author of The COFFEE BREAK SERIES, a hilarious group of short stories meant to be read while on break or in the waiting room of the doctor's office. Her first novella, SUKI, has been grabbing hearts and hugging souls all over the United States.

You can now order SUKI in paperback at BOOK REVUE, one of the nation’s largest independent bookstores, by email at info@bookrevue.com or by calling (631) 271-1442.
Learn more about SUKI at BOOK REVUE http://www.bookrevue.com/localauthors.html

Hoy Es Chocolate Chip

Once a week for one hour, I used to teach preschoolers basic Spanish. I did  it for five years and the teachers at the school were appreciative. From 1pm-2pm on Thursdays, they got a well deserved break, and the kids in their classes were offered the opportunity to learn how to annoy adults in another language.

I had twenty-five students from many different backgrounds. Some were African American or West Indian, some were mature for their age, some were gifted and some, not so much. But I loved teaching these kids. Every week, somebody learned something, and every week, there was a new story to tell.

For example, one day, my ADD girl, Erin, decided to unbutton her shirt while I was teaching. We weren't doing clothing like last year when Michael, a twin, drew genitals on the androgynous body form we were supposed to be dressing.(His sister, Laura, had the same idea and drew breasts on her paper...damn twin telepathy)

This time, we were going over the alphabet. When she did it, Erin went up to her regular teacher and complained that she didn't know how to button back up. Her teacher said, "Oh no. You got yourself into this mess, now you can get yourself out." Erin is one of my gifted students, but without something to keep her occupied, we lose her. Little did we all know what not getting her clothes straightened out would lead to.

She stomped away from her teacher, frustrated that she wasn't going to get any help,but she plopped down silently in the middle of the kids on the rug. I continued the lesson. I turned my back and pointed to the letter "H". Erin screamed at the top of her lungs, "HACHE!". I spun around quickly and saw her raise both of her hands in triumph but almost choke on her shirt, which was now around her neck like a scarf. Both arms were out of the sleeves and she wasn't wearing an undershirt. I made eye contact with her teacher as Erin was airlifted out of the group and her look clearly said, "You're welcome."

Score one for education in America. No one gets left behind.

Little Michael only spoke Polish. I managed to break through slightly and teach him the phrase, "Me llamo". He also had ADD. The same day, after the Erin incident, I had him sit with me as I struggled to continue teaching. Every once in a while, just so I wouldn't lose him, I would ask him questions. I'd say,"Michael, cual es la fecha de hoy?" He was very enthusiastic as he yelled, "ME LLAMO MICHAEL!" in my ear. (I have to admit,that was a far better answer than the kid who responded "Chocolate Chip", when I asked the same question.)

Most of the time he fidgeted. I put him on my lap so I could control his movements a little better. He faced the class, but his back was to me. Eventually, he started trying to kick a little boy in the face that was sitting in front of us. And someone in the back of the room informed me that Michael was picking his nose every time I wasn't holding his hands to keep him from grabbing the decorations off of the wall.

With fifty minutes still left, and the teachers off to the side eating a snack and gossiping, Nicholas sat in between ten kids coughing up a lung. No one ever moved him out of the crowd.

By the time I got home, I felt like I needed a bath. What's the Spanish for Valium?


 CF Winn is the award-winning author of The COFFEE BREAK SERIES, a hilarious group of short stories meant to be read while on break or in the waiting room of the doctor's office. Her first novella, SUKI, has been grabbing hearts and hugging souls all over the United States.

You can now order SUKI in paperback at BOOK REVUE, one of the nation’s largest independent bookstores, by email at info@bookrevue.com or by calling (631) 271-1442.
Learn more about SUKI at BOOK REVUE http://www.bookrevue.com/localauthors.html