Then came D Day. There were no freeways. I left at four in the morning. The plane was to arrive at five. It was pitch dark all the way down Sepulveda Boulevard.

Now you have to understand, I had never met Hilda, and I had never met Gladys. We only knew each other from telephone conversations. But I went up some steps to a little place which said coffee and sandwiches, and so forth. And there we met. We just knew who each other was. Hilda and I met first. She said,"I just knew who you were." And I said I knew who she was too. And then Gladys came and joined us. We had some coffee and then we went downstairs and we waited for the plane to arrive.

When it arrived, many, many people stepped down from the plane. Then we could see Baba walking very slowly, very majestically toward us and He embraced us. And when He embraced me, I felt nothing at all. I felt nothing and I felt everything. I never felt His arms around me or anything. I just felt a complete state of freedom. I had this wonderful feeling. Then we got in my car. — Energy, Hilda, Gladys and I. We went to the Roosevelt Hotel and I got lost on the way. And oh my God, when we got to the Roosevelt, Baba was already up the steps of the hotel and walking towards the entrance. And Energy looked at me and said, "We're the ones who should have been there to greet Him."

Anyway, it was very busy after that. Baba met a lot of people; I think we had over 150 people, perhaps some curiosity seekers and others, who came to meet Him briefly.

I introduced a wonderful Chinese man from Brawley, California, to Baba. He and his wife and one of his sons came. And I'll never forget how beautiful it was and how they knelt before Baba. Tom Folk was his name. They knelt before Baba with their eyes downcast and Baba blessed them. Tom had met Irene Conybeare who wrote Civilization and Chaos, and that is how they came to Baba.

Anyway, to make a long story short, Baba was there and He gave many talks, and He met many people. I gave Him some cashews and He tossed those around, and one at me!

When I knelt before Baba, He made some kind of a sign. I don't know what the sign was. I was just in awe in front of Him. And Eruch didn't say anything. But it doesn't matter. The main thing was to have that moment with Him.

Then we eventually went to Meher Mount. I never saw anybody walk up the hill, up the slope, as easily as Baba did. It was as if He was floating. It was unbelievable. I couldn't keep up with Him. I remember running along side of Him.

After Agnes Baron showed Him her tractor, and all the things she was doing up there, we went into a room and Baba gave us another talk. Ella Winterfeldt asked Baba if she could go to India. And Baba said yes. Then it became very cold. And Baba was cold. Anyway, we went down to Los Angeles, and the following day Baba was to leave.

I picked up Gladys and Hilda in Hollywood and we went to the airport. Gladys had bought a bunch of very beautiful roses, very small roses. And they were packed so tightly. I said, "Nobody, but nobody could pack another rose in there." And later she presented them to Baba.

We were sad to see Baba depart for San Francisco and it was rather tearful, because to see Him and all the others, to see so many loving souls leave — whom we had met so briefly — well it was sad. We felt it.

At one time Baba was holding my hand as we waited for the plane to depart, and He held Gladys Carr's hand with His left hand. And we just sat there waiting.

After the plane left, Gladys, Hilda and I went back to the car, my old '38 Chevy, and we opened the door and there were three roses, one for each of us, and I started crying all over again. And so did Gladys. We just couldn't get over it. And I said I was going to put them in something and that I would mail them to them. And before I went home I went to the five and dime store and told the sales clerk I needed three small plastic boxes, not very large. She showed me several things but nothing suitable. And I said, "Don't you