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Word for Word

Happily, if immodestly, ever after

Every high school has one: the kid everyone picks on. Here's one who gets sweet revenge 20 years later.

By LANE DEGREGORY
Published January 10, 2006

Every high school has one: the kid everyone picks on. Maybe it's an extreme Star Trek fan or the bassoonist from band or the girl who studies her boogers in geometry.

In my class, it was Stephanie Kuhn. I don't really remember why or how the harassment started. But by the time we were seniors, in 1985, she had become our school's version of Ally Sheedy in The Breakfast Club - an awkward, outcast girl who peered out at the world from behind her long, dark bangs and made snide comments about her teachers and torturers under her breath.

Like many of my classmates, I forgot about Stephanie after graduation. Apparently, she didn't forget about us.

When the 20th reunion of our Rockville High class was held recently in Maryland, she didn't show. But everyone was talking about her. Just like old times.

This is the page she submitted for the class memory book. While other alumni bragged about their travels, kids and careers, Stephanie spoke directly to her tormentors. And counted on karma.

I e-mailed her and she said I could share this with you.

- LANE DeGREGORY, Times staff writer

Name: Stephanie Kuhn

Address: Bishops Head, MD

Occupation: Poultry fancier

College/trade school: A.A. Degree, Veterinary Technology

Greatest accomplishment or planned goal: Developing small farm business, living happily ever after

Synopsis of last 20 years: By now, most of you (with a few exceptions) are either fat & ugly or drunk & stupid. Or both. Perhaps you have successful careers to cover up your miserable lives. On the other hand, my fiance Richard & I share a wonderful life in the country. I have retained my youthful good looks. Neither of us drink, smoke or do drugs.

We are happy, healthy and free of the guilt I know some of you carry (you know who you are) for the way you treated me in school, from nursery school on. You are the ones who will burn in hell with your fat, ugly, drunken-stupid selves & 10 kids.

We, however, have a beautiful farm on 14 acres on Maryland's Eastern Shore (God's country). We have one horse (beautiful AQHA registered QH mare), two South African Boer goats, three very friendly pit bulls (two blue, one white), four geese, three rabbits, and over 200 fancy/rare ducks & chickens. I show our dogs at fun shows, and our poultry too. I sell birds & hatching eggs online, all over the country. I even shipped eggs to Thailand once.

Richard was a police officer for many years and is enjoying a much-deserved pension. Richard is a full-time office employee at the largest construction company on the shore. He also is a part-time staff writer for the local paper. I enjoy working here on the farm. Richard has a 15-year-old daughter who loves me very much, and she enjoys riding my horse. Sometimes we ride on the beach at Assateague.

Both Richard & I enjoy horseback riding, art, photography, swimming, camping, fossil collecting, working on cars/trucks, laughing, reading, writing (I write Macabre poetry), music, cooking, home improvements and many other things. He treats me like gold. We have the perfect life. So you see, what goes around comes around. You reap what you sow. God will see that you get what's coming to you. Thanks for reading my bio.

Favorite high school song: Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd

-- Word for Word is an occasional feature excerpting passages of interest from books, magazines, Web sites and other sources. The text may be edited for space but the original spelling, grammar and punctuation are unchanged.

[Last modified January 9, 2006, 20:09:07]