Meanwhile the Kimco gopis were anxiously awaiting their arrival and had cooked dinner for them. Although tired, Baba sat with them after dinner, giving spiritual explanations long into the night.1
With the whole group, Baba visited San Fruttuoso where they cruised on the sea in a motorboat the whole day. The next day, they had a picnic in Portofino Vetta and went up the mountain in a caravan-carriage drawn by two horses. All were in a festive mood and so was Baba. Age noted, "Although Baba was their Lord and Master, he was also their friend and companion, and entered into everything with them."
They walked along singing and stopped from time to time to gather flowers by the roadside. At one spot, Baba indicated he wanted to halt for lunch. However, Quentin foolishly disagreed, saying they should walk a little further. Irked by Quentin's suggestion, Baba's pleasant mood altered for some time. "That was the first little, gentle hint we had about obedience," Delia later recalled. "In fact, one of the chief things Baba tried to show us in Italy was that obedience to a Master was absolutely necessary. We had many other episodes which illustrated that obedience to him came first."
They had brought the gramophone and played Hawaiian and Spanish records and the songs of Paul Robeson. Baba gave them wine to drink and told them that when a Master distributed wine, it had special significance.
They had another picnic on Thursday, 11 August 1932 in Portofino. For his gopis, the times in Santa Margherita were happy and enjoyable days in their Beloved's company. It was a very intimate time. Every day, Baba would sit on the rocks by the seashore as the group sunbathed and talked.
Once, while they were discussing books, Baba smiled and gestured, "Learn to read me, for when you understand me, you will understand everything!"
On another occasion, Delia and Margaret were sitting in the walled garden at the back of Fiorenza. It was after lunch and all the others had gone into the town on passport business. Delia and Margaret were not expecting to see Baba, who suddenly appeared with Chanji. Baba asked what they should do and Margaret quipped, "Let's forget about the universe and enjoy ourselves!" Baba smiled like a child and jumped on Margaret's back in a gay and playful mood. She carried him a little way and Baba then indicated that they would play a game.
Footnotes
- 1.The 1932 Summer Olympics were taking place at this time in Los Angeles, which Baba had recently visited. Thirty-seven nations were represented, with 1,500 athletes competing and close to 100,000 spectators in daily attendance. (Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks also hosted a dinner for 200 Olympic officials and foreign dignitaries at Pickfair.)