Why was the Tarkhad son so hesitant to go to Shirdi with his mother, even though she really wanted to go?

The Tarkhad son was hesitant to travel to Shirdi because he was deeply worried about who would continue his daily worship routine at home. As Chapter 9 explains, he had a strict, uninterrupted practice of performing daily worship of Sai Baba's photograph, which included offering 'Naivedya' (a food offering) before anyone in the house ate. His primary concern, as stated in the text, was "Who will perform the worship at home regularly?" This anxiety was compounded by the fact that his father was a follower of the Prarthana Samaj, and the son felt it wouldn't be right to entrust the effort of idol worship to him, creating a significant puzzle for the devout son.