When Missouri and Massachusetts get together

A couple of years ago, I wrote a piece about this lady in Colorado, whom I became friends with in Germany and then talked with and have been talking with on the phone either every day some weeks, or at least once a week for over 20 years. I need to rewrite that piece, but through my tears, as it has to be funny, I cannot tonight.
Less than a year ago, last June when she called to tell me she had just been diagnosed with cancer which in her opinion had already metastisized, I flew out to Colorado.Before I left, I told her to invite all of her friends for a birthday party. I wanted it to be a surprise, but as her husband has been deaf for a while, even though they are not old, I figured that it would not make any sense for me to yell all of this into the phone to him , as she would hear it anyway. I made the food,etc.. There was Karaoke. Her husband sang that Old El Paso love song to her.
Out in the west town of El Paso
I fell in love with a Mexican girl
Nightime would find me in Rosa's cantina
Music would play and
Fellina would whirl.
(The town where they fell in love and married.)
" It was the best of times and the worst of times." The worst had yet to come.
Down to business the next day. Taking care of business, we set out in her orangy-bronze car. She was really going a little fast. If you know me, you know that I know a lot about some things and less than nothing about more. I said,"Debbie, you are going kind of fast. You really should have a sports car,"to which she replied, "Laurie, this is a sports car. It's a Corvette."
We had an appointment at one funeral home. Everyone who worked there was dressed in nice cheerful black. We were led up to a private conference room where we found out it was bargain day at that particular chain. Oh, did she make those somber ladies laugh. We picked out the cardboard box that she will be cremated in and took care of other such details. She did not really like the setting there, but they had other affiliates in Colorado Springs. The one she picked has a view of Colorado Peak in Colorado Springs and is right next to her grandchildrens' favorite fast food restaurant, Wendys.She wants her husband to strew her ashes from that very peak.
A couple of weeks later , when I called, she was crying as she thought (but it was not the case) that her best friend in Colorado was staying away from her because of the cancer. This was the friend who was going to take care of one of her wishes. I told her that I would. Debbie has never been svelte and at her memorial service she had wanted to have a royal purple dress with sequins girlishly arranged on her urn with a sign," It's me, finally a size 8."
When I got off the phone, I thought to myself,#$@*&%, "Where am I going to find that?"
So I went to all of the artsy fartsy boutiques I know, cell phone in hand, conferring with a lovely woman named Michelle from Missouri whose help I had enlisted to find this dress and whom I had met at Debbie's party in Colorado. Could not find it.
Then, (this will sound stupid) I told God to tell the religious lady who does all of my hemming to tell her that I was coming a half an hour early. When I arrived, her door was open. I asked her if she could make the dress. She said,"No, but you do not need to worry. God is going to find it for you. GO to the Salvation Army. " The one in MA was closed that day. So I called Michelle and told her.She went to the one in Missouri and went right to the rack of size 8 dresses and there it was.......