Chapter 254: The Teacher
"It is actually quite disconcerting," Melanie said as she looked at the woman who could have easily passed for her twin.
"I’d say creepy," Adam muttered under his breath as he shifted uncomfortably in the back of the classroom. "I mean, she looks too much like you. It’s not just a resemblance—it’s like someone copied and pasted your face."
"You just think this is creepy because you’re sitting in a school again," Melanie replied, her voice laced with amusement. "That’s all this is—a coincidence. A strange one, yes, but still a coincidence."
Adam shook his head slightly. "I don’t like coincidences. Never have. Are you absolutely sure you don’t have a long-lost twin lurking around somewhere?"
Melanie scoffed. "Of course I’m sure. I think I would’ve noticed someone walking around with this face," she said, gesturing vaguely at herself. Then, checking the paper in her hand, she added, "Alright, next up is us. Come on. Let’s act like everything is normal."
"Yeah, sure. Let’s pretend that I’m not staring at my wife’s doppelganger, who—just to make things even more bizarre—is also going to be our future son’s... mother..." He trailed off with a grimace as Melanie shot him a pointed look. He quickly corrected himself, "...teacher. I mean, seriously—who even comes up with terms like ’mother-teacher’?"
Melanie gave him another warning glance, this one sharper than the last. Without another word, they both stood and stepped forward toward the teacher’s desk.
The woman looked up and smiled at them warmly—as though the uncanny resemblance didn’t even register to her. But before they could introduce themselves or say anything at all, she spoke first.
"I thought that once I saw you in person, I’d be able to spot some obvious differences between us. But... this is honestly unsettling." She gave a short, nervous laugh before continuing. "When Adir first told me I looked like his would-be mother, I assumed it was some kind of corny pickup line—something a kid might say if he’d been raised by eccentric single parents. You know, the kind who teach their kids weird little icebreakers?"
She paused just long enough to make eye contact with Melanie before finishing with a shrug. "But then he showed me your picture. And it really was disconcerting—still is, to be honest. It’s like looking into a mirror I didn’t know existed."
She gestured to the chairs in front of her. "Please, have a seat, Mr. and Mrs. Collins."
While both the women kept their composures, Adam and Adir were not so composed. Adir was grinning at the two people in front of him while Adam had already narrowed his eyes, somehow not too comfortable with this new development. He really did not like his Melon’s face on anyone else.