Script 03: Starting a New Year
Logline
Christian young man having problems with family and life gets mugged. In a hospital room, and angry with God falls asleep and dreams of life as a sinner. It starts out well but after getting V. D. and his heartbroken, he realizes this is just as bad and he ends up in hell. He wakes up screaming until he realizes he is alive. With a thankful heart, he turns his life around to the surprise of all, including himself. Based in part on a true story.
Synopsis
Thomas comes home. His sister Lynette and her best friend Robin are in the living room watching T.V. Robin and Thomas have a sort of love/hate relationship. Thomas ask Lynette for money so he doesn’t start the new year broke. Lynette asks Thomas to back off bothering Robin so she can get her to come to church. Robin is a little sensitive because she thinks Lynette can be a little preachy.
It’s New Year’s Eve at Thomas’ church. Everyone is praying while the new year begins. Wynetta, a hardworking, popular, church member has invited the church to her house for fellowship. Timothy likes her but Wynetta only sees him as a Christian brother. Though Wynetta offers to drive Timothy home, he declines and walks instead. He gets mugged along the way.
Thomas tells his mother and sister he was mugged. Mom isn’t sympathetic at all. Just like usual, they get into an argument and Lynette is the referee. She prays for them to get along.
Thomas goes to Denis’ (best friend) house. They watch bowl games on T.V. Thomas calls his girlfriend who didn’t come to church like she promised. Patricia is not a Christian and is having difficulty accepting Thomas’ beliefs on abstinence. She is sympathetic at first about him being mugged but it wears off. Denis is more sympathetic and suggest that you need to dump her. He leaves.
As he’s walking along the street, he sees the two muggers and stepping out on faith approaches them and invites them to his church. They respond by beating Thomas unconscious. Later, the two muggers go to his church. Wynetta sits them. Preacher talks about stealing. They get up to leave, but they go to the finance office, burst their way in, and take the offering. They knock Wynetta down on their way out. Men chase them down the hall and outside but they get away. Wynetta is taken to the hospital. Her arm is in a cast and a sling. Lynette and Mom are with her. She asks them about Thomas. She didn’t know he was mugged. Mom is angry with Thomas after he admits to inviting these two criminals to church. Thomas vents to God as he falls asleep, dreaming…
After breaking up with his old girlfriend, Lynette (being a little matchmaker) thought it would be good for Thomas to spend some time with Robin and perhaps he could do a better job getting her to come to church. But instead, Robin leads Thomas away from church. Disapproving of this relationship, Lynette and mom attempt unsuccessfully to draw Thomas back. Thomas is too sexually and emotionally involved with Robin to listen. Robin, however does not feel the same. It all comes to a head when Thomas discovers he has an STD from Robin who received it from her not so ex-boyfriend. Wynetta, mom and even Denis warn him about women like Robin. Denis suggest he go back to church because the sinners’ life is not for him and then he finds himself in hell. Thomas awakes from this nightmare to find himself in the hospital.
He realizes it was only a dream and praises God. Now he knows he has to change and he has a new attitude and perspective on life. Lynette and Mom come to pick up Thomas. Mom promises with her fingers crossed to get along with Thomas. However, Thomas is being the polite one. They also go into Wynetta’s room to give her a ride home. When they get home, Thomas tells them about his dream. Mom doesn’t think it will make a difference. All she can see is his father (earthly). No matter how much he apologizes, she finds fault with him. “Do you love me?”, Thomas asks. “My mother didn’t love me,” she responds. Finally, she breaks down and compliments him. “I do love you”, she eventually admits and they hug.
From then, Thomas, equipped with a new view on life, starts to make better choices. Thomas gets a new job at Gretchen’s Gourmet and Groceries. Robin, who never gave him much thought is sympathetic to his injuries after being mugged and is impressed that he is employed. Robin is being mistreated by her boyfriend. Robin knows about his dream and starts to have feelings for Thomas. Mom learns he has a job that starts at midnight. She is worried but he assures her that God will protect him. Lynette is impressed at how well they are getting along.
At work, two men rob the store with the security guard asleep. He gets awaken with the tap of a gun on the head. After they leave, the cops show up. The security guard asks everyone to lie. Gretchen fires the guard. Later, the guard comes back to the store and pulls a knife on the cashier. Thomas tries to intervene but he pulls the knife on him which doesn’t scare Thomas at all. Thomas talks him down and he eventually apologizes to the cashier and Miss Gretchen for the way he behaved in her store. Thomas comes into the store later to catch two kids stealing. He brings them to the cashier and dumps their book bags on the counter. The cashier threatens to call the cops. A cop walks in which scares the kids. Cashier tries to tell the cop but Thomas doesn’t let her. The cop offers to give them a ride to school with a stiff warning.
On a Friday night, Lynette and Robin are watching T.V. It’s time to go to church and this time Robin goes. Thomas goes up to Wynetta to talk but she sees him as a Christian brother. Thomas testifies about the events in his life. One of the muggers comes in and sits. He testifies about who he is, what he did, and that his partner in crime is dead. Thomas walks over and forgives him. The mugger and Robin go to the altar to get saved. They both get hugged by the church. After a rocky start to the year, things are starting to work together for good.