The first time I met that boy was at a playground.

A boy with eyes that seemed utterly uninterested in the world, swinging alone.

At first, I thought he was just another ordinary kid.

Whenever I went to the daycare, everyone’s eyes would turn to me, and he was no different—stealing glances my way.

But, just like all the others, he didn’t approach me.

I wasn’t even supposed to come with Mom, so I felt like I shouldn’t have come at all.

At the daycare, alone. At the playground, alone.

Everywhere, always alone.

That boy, I thought, would soon fit …