Henry’s landlady is a small Japanese woman who has made
he reminds me of a freshly planted sapling standing in the
a living out of selling counterfeit teabags. Her popular market
centre of a group of well-established trees. The only conclusion you
stall offers fourteen types of exotic brews, all of which have
can come to is that he won’t last the winter. The world of the
their origins in a range of weeds she finds growing by the side
well-fed cannot accommodate the wiry, however wise. So what if
of inner-city railway tracks. The source of her best-selling
it’s about brains rather than brawn? In the final analysis, you can’t
‘Healing Hamamatsu’ is not the Japanese city of Hamamatsu (where
ignore the fact that he doesn’t fit in. He drives the wrong car, wears
they don’t grow tea anyway) but the dried leaves of the common
the wrong suit and uses the wrong buzzwords. His physical
buddleia instead. Nevertheless, from what Henry tells me, I
weaknesses tempt us all towards acts of violence (the new fountain
believe she does a roaring trade, having a fair proportion of
in the courtyard? it’s an attractive prospect, I grant you). Even our
regular customers, several of whom claim to have been
well-respected financial director – who never bullied at school –
spiritually cleansed by her remarkable infusions. The fact
admits an urge to flush this man’s head down the toilet. And yet,
that she has revealed this mighty secret to Henry (he has only
we aren’t at school anymore, nor are we in any position to abuse
been living there a month) along with countless others (she
a man who could have us sacked. And let’s be honest – he probably
is thinking of setting up a medicine stall on the side) gives
will last the winter and beyond. A man wouldn’t stick a sign on
us some hint, I fancy, of the manner of his relationship with her.
his door reading ‘The Weed Chokes All’ if he wasn’t self-confident.
(Pierre Monceau and Jean-Pierre Sertin)
