Whenever Baba wrote to Minta, he always enclosed a poem. On this occasion, he wrote:
“”You have all my love
My darling dove
Below, above
I am ever with you.
You are ever in my heart
We are never apart
You, a part of my heart
I am always with you.
On the ship, Baba and Kaka shifted to cabin No. 280; Chanji joined Adi Sr. in his cabin, 302; and Jalbhai had a separate cabin to himself. Baba continued to be in poor health. On 23 January, Adi noted in his diary that "Baba's health seems worse every day. He suffers through a strenuous weight of some internal working, which is evident from the dark shadows under his eyes. He has no sleep the whole night. Kaka is constantly awakened due to Baba's restlessness and Chanji presses his feet till twelve midnight."
On the 25th, Baba began complaining of "heart cramps" again.
“”At lunch that day, Baba remarked to the mandali, "What will you do if my condition worsens? The journey to India will take many more days still."
They said they would do as he instructed.
The ship docked at Yokohama on the 26th. Baba and the mandali went ashore at 7:00 P.M. and went to the Grand Hotel, where the Thomas Cook office was located, to inquire about their passage from Hong Kong to Colombo. Due to Baba's "restlessness" they did not spend much time on shore. They got down at Kobe, also, at 8:00 A.M. on the 28th and went to the Cook office again about travel arrangements. (Baba was considering flying to India from Singapore with one of the mandali.)
“”After sailing from Honolulu, Baba informed Chanji, "There is one soul I want to contact on this ship."
The next day, Chanji went down to the laundry room to iron Baba's pants and met a wealthy woman named Margaret Molitor Scott, 40. Margaret confided in Chanji, narrating a troubled life, saying she was desperate and thinking of divorcing her husband. Chanji told her about Baba, who later sent word to the woman not to get divorced. Chanji talked with her for a few minutes each evening and she became eager to meet Baba in person for she sought his blessing.
Baba agreed to see her on deck when he disembarked in Shanghai on the 30th, if no one else was around. When Baba came up, she was surrounded by people. To her amazement, they all dispersed and she had her precious few minutes with Baba. He consoled her and blessed her by making the sign of the cross on her forehead.
