Mrs. Liebman
Math Bitch
Merion Mercy Academy
Merion Station, PA
1987
I hated math in high school and I don’t think I hated the
subject as much as I hated the degrading experience of being in class with Mrs.
Liebman, math bitch. She loved my sisters and I was a huge disappointment to
her and she took every opportunity to let me know that I would never measure up
to my sisters. So most of my
conversations with her were put downs and negative affirmations of a self
esteem that was already suffering enough without her efforts.
When I was 32, I returned to my high school to see a
musical. It was at the end of the
intermission when Sharon, my sister, told me that she had just been talking to
Mrs. Liebman and mentioned that I was in the audience.
“She wants to see you,” Sharon tells me. “She’s in the back,
waiting for you.”
I don’t have any desire to see her and I tell Sharon so.
“Oh, go on, just go and say hello to her; it won’t kill
you.”
So, I thought, maybe I should. I took my five-year old niece with me and
made my way to the back of the auditorium where she was standing with a man and
another woman.
“Hello Mrs. Liebman, I’m Bridget Kelly,” I tell her
nervously. As I speak, the house lights flicker to alert all of us to return to
our seats.
Before I could continue, she chimes in “Oh, you. I was just talking about you to my
husband. I told him, Kathy was the
talented one. And Sharon was so bright
and Patricia was so sweet. But you, you
were so bad. But I guess you didn’t turn
out so bad after all. Look, you have a
child and she doesn’t seem to be too bad.
Oh well, I have to go back to my seat.
It was nice talking to you.” And
with that, she left me standing there, seething with anger.
