At the motel, Baba met with individuals in the afternoon. He called the Shaws into his room to have tea with him. Eruch served it. In discussing the prospect of an operation on Leatrice's eyes to straighten her vision, Baba decided she should go ahead with it.
He assured her, "Don't worry, everything will be all right. Your eyes will be fine. Don't have any anxiety."
Baba tossed her a heavy plastic paperweight he had held a while, telling her to keep it with her while in the hospital, and he told her to have the operation that September or October between certain dates.1
Later, when only Jeanne was present, Baba asked her again, "Do you realize what it means for me to allow you to launder my sadra?"
Jeanne did not know what to say and replied simply, "No, Baba." Baba looked at Eruch as if puzzled, and Jeanne continued, "But I feel greatly privileged and happy to have this task as a favor to me."
Baba looked pleased and gestured, "Good answer."
Because of this duty, Jeanne once or twice missed a "good morning" with Baba; but Baba always made it up to her. Once he waited after all the others had left the room until she had arrived. Another time he waited in the car outside the motel before leaving in the morning with the mandali to go to someone's home. He called her, kissed her on the cheek and then sped off.
At about 4:00 P.M., Baba came out of his room with a tin of sugar cookies (presented to him by Etta Mehdy, Rabia Martin's daughter). He gave each of the group one of the powdered, star-shaped cookies. With his sugar-dusted fingers, he painted a white mustache on Beryl William's face; playfully he touched Enid Corfe and Margaret Craske on the cheek, and hugged Lud Dimpfl's sister, Eleanor Smith. Baba wished the group to disperse half an hour early that day, at 5:30 P.M. instead of at 6:00, and he kept asking the time.
Early in the morning on Tuesday, 7 August 1956, Baba called his close ones into his room for the last time. He stressed that they were not to embrace or garland him. Filis had brought a lei which she then put on his table. Later Baba put it on and then gave it to Three-B.
Footnotes
- 1.As Baba had predicted, the operation was successful and Leatrice's eyes became completely normal.