The Old Man

Description

Tom is an egotistical and immature newly wed. On his way to a coffee date with his wife Penny, he calls his friend Steve to ask if it\'s true that Steve\'s Dad looks just like an old version of Tom. This is true so he asks if Steves Dad would come to the coffeeshop and pretend to be Tom from the future in order to prank his wife. When meeting Penny, Tom says he has to rush off, but in the future he will invent time travel and come back to finish the date. Penny tells him she wants a divorce due to his selfishness and immature pranks. He is shocked and responds by saying he hates her witch-like laugh anyway. In the middle of the argument \"Old Tom\" sits at their table and claims he is Tom from the future, Penny storms off, telling Tom it\'s over.Tom and Old Tom are left sitting opposite each other. They have a conversation about marriage and Old Tom tells Tom that he has been \"married for 35 years, I\'ve been in your shoes and I just told myself \"you have to change\" and of you don\'t go after her right now, you will lose the best thing that ever happened to you.\" Tom asks \"How do you know?\" Old Tom replies \"Because I am You, don\'t give up on the time travel either. Tom realises he is talking to his future self and wonders if he (young Tom) himself is Steves dad. Old Tom says \"no, he is\" and points to Steves actual Dad who arrives dressed in a ridiculous time travel/futuristic tin foil outfit, that he has quickly made for the prank. Steve\'s dad shouts out \"I\'m Tom from the future!\" In a melodramatic and awkward way. Young Tom runs out of the coffeeshop after Penny. Old Tom stands up and is joined by Old Penny who has been sitting in the background. She has also traveled back in time with Old Tom. They both stand staring at Steve\'s dad in his ridiculous outfit. Old Tom says to him \"You don\'t look anything like me.\" Old Penny laughs out loud with a witch-like laugh. Old Tom doesn\'t mind because he\'s changed.

Biblical Connection

The concept of putting off \"The Old man\" is mentioned in three new testament books. Romans 6:6 \"knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him,\" Ephesians 4:22 \"that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man\" and Colossians 3:9 \"you have put off the old man with his deeds,\". It is the decision to stop serving our own lusts and to stop serving sin, it is an act of faith. In my story Tom starts off as a man who serves himself until it all backfires and crumbles. He is then confronted with his failings and told, by a better version of himself, \"The New Man\", to take action. As an act of faith he Leaves his old ways which are clearly destructive, and over time changes into that \"New Man\" who we see as his future self. Still happily married to the wife he almost lost because of his old ways.