It started her very first day of school. At least, that's the first time she realized it was happening. Her father was dropping her off to school. She had asked him why she couldn't take the bus like all of the other kids and his answer was that he was afraid.
That seem odd to her that he'd be afraid of her going on the bus. But it settled her mind and she did not pursue the subject further.
When she arrived at school, it was not like she expected it would be. But, that isn't the uncanny part of it all because most children hope that school would be something that it is not. What was the uncanny part was that she looked at all of the little boys and little girls and they all looked different. They were plumper and cleaner and they all glowed compared to her skinny limbs and un-brushed hair. She wondered out of the car, now staring at the school. It looked a lot cleaner than home.
She hopped out of the car and ran off, forgetting about her dad. She was half way to the playground when she heard someone calling her name. She looked around, wondering who it could be considering that it was her first day of school and she didn't know any other kid.
She turned around after the third time she heard her name called again. It was her father. She rushed over to him and as she got closer, she noticed that she saw something in his hand. It was a paper bag. She remembered that she had forgotten her lunch. She came up to her daddy and went to hug him for giving her, her lunch when he grabbed her arm, tightly.
"You made me call your name three times," he said in a too happy of a voice. "Three times," he repeated with a smile creeping up his face. "I'll deal with you when you get home." He shoved her lunch at her and she dropped it when she was still processing what he had said. She crouched down to pick up her lunch and she realized that his feet were not there anymore. At that moment, she heard the car start up and hurry away while she was picking up the paper bag's contents.
When she stood up, lunch in hand, she noticed that everyone was staring at her, including the teachers. She wondered why they were looking at her like that. Didn't everyone's parents treat their children like that?
The bell rang and children, parents and teachers were startled out of their daze. She looked around her and noticed mothers and fathers nuzzling her new schoolmates and pecking them for one last time before they rushed off to school.
That's when she realized that, no, not every parent treats their child that way. And she wondered why she did not get kisses and hugs from her daddy, too.