Why was the Tarkhad's son so worried about going to Shirdi with his mom?

The son's primary concern was the continuation of the daily worship of Sai Baba's photograph at their home. As detailed in Chapter 9, he performed this worship daily with body, speech, and mind, including an offering of Naivedya, and would not eat without it. He was hesitant to leave because he worried about who would perform this ritual regularly in his absence. His father was a follower of the Prarthana Samaj, which made the son question if it would be right to entrust the task of idol worship to him. This created a significant puzzle and worry for the son before his journey.