Sycamore Row - John Grisham

A month after the verdict, Ancil Hubbard sat low in the passenger’s seat of Lucien’s
old Porsche and gazed through the window at the rolling hills of Ford County. Of the
land, he remembered nothing. The first thirteen years of his life had been spent in those
parts, but he had worked hard for the past fifty to forget them. Nothing looked familiar.
He had been released on a bond arranged by Jake and others, and he had been
cajoled south by his pal Lucien. Just one last visit. You might be surprised. Thin gray
hair was sprouting again and partially covered the ugly scar across the back of his head.
He wore jeans and sandals, same as Lucien.
They turned onto a county road and approached Seth’s home. There was a “For Sale”
sign in the front yard. Lucien said, “That’s where Seth lived. You want to stop?”
“No.”
They turned again onto a gravel road and drove deeper into the woods.
“Recognize any of this?” Lucien asked.
“Not really.”
The woods thinned and they came to a clearing. Ahead were cars parked haphazardly
and people milling about, including some children. Smoke rose from a charcoal grill.
Farther on, they approached overgrown rubble and ruins, all choked with kudzu. Ancil
raised a hand and said, “Stop. Here.” They got out. Some of the others were nearby and
walking over to say hello, but Ancil did not see them. He was looking away, far in the
distance. He began walking toward the sycamore tree where they had found his brother.
The others followed quietly; some were left behind. With Lucien trailing closely, Ancil
walked a hundred yards or so to the tree, then stopped and looked around. He pointed
to a small hill covered with oaks and elms and said, “We were up there, Seth and me,
hiding in the woods. It seemed farther away back then. They brought him here, under
this tree. There were more trees back then. A whole row of five or six, in a perfect line,
along the creek here. Now there’s only one.”
“There was a tornado here in sixty-eight,” Lucien said from behind him.
“This is where we found Seth,” Ozzie said. He was standing next to Lucien.
“Is it the same tree?” Jake asked. He was standing next to Ozzie.
Ancil heard their voices and looked at their faces, but he did not see them. He was in a
daze, in another time and place. He said, “I can’t say for sure, but I think so. All the
trees were the same, a perfect row. We fished right over there,” he said, pointing again.
“Seth and me. Right over there.” He exhaled heavily and seemed to grimace, then he
closed his eyes and shook his head. When he opened them, he said, “It was so awful.”
Lucien said, “Ancil, Sylvester’s granddaughter is here. Would you like to meet her?”
He took a deep breath and snapped out of his dream. He turned abruptly and said,
“I’d be delighted.”
Lettie walked over and offered a hand, a hand Ancil ignored. Instead, he gently took
her shoulders and squeezed tightly. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I’m so sorry.”
After a few seconds, she unwrapped herself and said, “Enough of that, Ancil. The past
is the past. Let’s say it’s over. I want you to meet my kids and grandkids.”