The murmur of the audience had just faded into expectant silence. This was one of the most important days in little five-year-old Patricia McKee's life: the Kernot School Concert. She stood behind the curtain with her schoolmates. Yet she was not afraid because everyone had been practicing for weeks and knew their parts by heart. Being in a remote country town, Patricia knew that everyone would turn out for the big occasion-everyone! Yet, it was this awareness that added a sense of sadness to her excitement. There were two people who couldn't be in that audience that night-her mum and dad. Patricia's mother and father ran the local general store, which was open for business 24 hours. So it was simply accepted that Mum and Dad could never attend community activities. It had been this way with her sister, so why should it be any different for her? Still, Patricia couldn't help wishing that her mum and dad could be there to see her on such a special day, so she decided to bring up the subject with her mother. Sadly, she had to face the facts. At such a young age, Patricia couldn't really understand the deep pain in her mother's response: "I'll try to be there, sweetheart, but you know how hard it is for us to get away from the store." Yet as the curtain slowly opened on the stage of the Kernot Hall, little Patricia McKee got the surprise of her life. There, sitting four rows the front was her mother with a big smile on her face! This powerful image remains one of Patricia's most treasured memories. "Words cannot express the pure joy we both experienced at that moment. I was really _ ," said Patricia, now a parent herself. Her parents have passed away, but what a wonderful legacy they've left us: when someone really needs you, be there for them. What do we know about Patricia's parents?
They loved Patricia more than her sister. They had little interest in social activities. They had to mind the store day and night. They paid no attention to Patricia's school life.