Waiting in India, meanwhile, Rustom, Adi Jr. and Beheram were also supposed to join Baba in America. But all of these plans were still uncertain, due to lack of finances.
Baba and the mandali left London on the morning of Wednesday, 5 December.1 They traveled to Southampton by train with several of his close ones, who included Kitty, Walter and Hedi, Delia, Margaret, Tom Sharpley, Anita, Rosamond Wise and Will and Mary. Baba sailed from Southampton aboard the SS Majestic . At the dock, the English lovers were sad to see their Beloved depart after such a brief visit. They looked like mourners with swollen eyes as they bid him a tearful farewell.
The Majestic was the largest ship in the world at the time and Baba was given a splendid stateroom with attached bath on the B deck. Once again, Kaka shared Baba's room, and Jalbhai, Chanji and Adi Sr. occupied a smaller cabin on deck E . As previously planned, Rano, Nonny and Ruano boarded the ship at Cherbourg. Baba approved of Nonny and Rano's cabin, but he did not like the one assigned to Ruano. He sent Rano to change it with the purser, who refused to do so. Baba kept sending Rano back, however, and the man finally complied and gave Ruano a better cabin.
Baba used to refer to the three women as "the trio" and one day revealed that they had close past connections with him at the time of Jesus and with one another from a previous life in Egypt. Ruano and Nonny had been brother and sister, and Rano had been Ruano's son. (Thereafter, Rano jokingly began calling Ruano, "Pappy.")
Since it was winter, the weather was quite cold and Baba seldom went out on the ship's deck. He amused himself each day by playing Ping-Pong with Rano on an enclosed deck. They never kept score but just hit the ball back and forth, with Rano valiantly trying to return Baba's ever-frequent smashes.
One night at sea, Rano remembered back to the time when she had wanted to marry. She talked to Baba the next day and said, "I now understand why different circumstances in my life did not turn out as I wished them to. Had things worked out the way I wanted, I would never have come to you."
Baba concurred, "Yes, you are right. Everything is in my hands and I created such circumstances for you that you would come to me. You had to come!"
Footnotes
- 1.Visas to visit China and Japan were issued to Baba the day before he left.