（外文电子版资料）Sometimes They Come Back.doc

SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK Jim Normans wife had been waiting for him since two, and when she saw the car pull up in front of their apartment building, she came out to meet him. She had gone to the store and bought a celebration meal - a couple of steaks, a bottle of Lancers, a head of lettuce, and Thousand Island dressing. Now, watching him get out of the car, she found herself hoping with some desperation (and not for the first time that day) that there was going to be something to celebrate. He came up the walk, holding his new briefcase in one hand and four texts in the other. She could see the title of the top one - Introduction to Grammar. She put her hands on his shoulder and asked, How did it go? And he smiled. But that night, he had the old dream for the first time in a very long time and woke up sweating, with a scream behind his lips. His interview had been conducted by the principal of Harold Davis High School and the head of the English Department. The subject of his breakdown had come up. He had expected it would. The principal, a bald and cadaverous man named Fenton, had leaned back and looked at the ceiling. Simmons, the English head, lit his pipe. I was under a great deal of pressure at the time, Jim Norman said. His fingers wanted to twist about in his lap, but he wouldnt let them. I think we understand that, Fenton said, smiling. And while we have no desire to pry, Im sure wed all agree that teaching is a pressure occupation, especially at the high-school level. Youre on-stage five periods out of seven, and youre playing to the toughest audience in the world. Thats why, he finished with some pride, teachers have more ulcers than any other professional group, with the exception of air-traffic controllers. Jim said, The pressures involved in my breakdown were extreme. Fenton and Simmons nodded noncommittal encouragement, and Simmons clicked his lighter open to rekindle his pipe. Suddenly the office seemed very tight, very close. Jim had the queer sensa