IN TROUBLE WITH BABA

 
When I got out there the first morning, on Monday, July 21, Meher Baba was already on the backyard patio, which was shaded by the house. He was seated in his wheelchair at a large, round table, on which was the text of the message he had given out the previous day to the New York City and Schenectady Baba groups.

We were immediately joined by John Bass and Keith MacGaffey. Baba wanted to go over the message to make some improvements in the wording before circularizing it. The atmosphere was very relaxed, and Baba wanted us to freely make suggestions that might be helpful.

In the midst of this work, Rano and Adi came out of the house. Rano reported to Baba on some task he had given her to do, and evidently her report displeased Baba very much. The atmosphere changed, and Rano, who stood to my right, seemed very tense, replying to Baba's questioning in clipped tones, "Yes, Baba. No, Baba."

The situation was very awkward. But after a few minutes, thinking to ease the tension, I bent over the table and, pointing to the paper we were working on, said, "This word, Baba..." But that was as far as I got, because Baba looked up at me and said (Adi interpreting), "My dear Darwin!"

Baba's stern look made me realize that I had made a faux pas. I straightened up, looked sideways at Rano, and muttered to her out of the side of my mouth, "Now we're in the same boat."

Then Baba quickly said, "Not quite."

Although there were strong feelings in Baba's rebuke, I was not hurt. Instead, I found myself pushed upward into a state of detached perception. Shortly after this, Baba said something more to Rano and she left. Baba's mood seemed to change rapidly, and we were soon back to work on the paper on the table.