Jack was walking down the street after buying a latte from the Starbucks at the corner near his office. It was a perfect day in Jack’s mind. He had no idea what was about to happen.
As Jack made his way through the medley of pedestrians, they all stopped moving completely. At first, Jack didn’t notice this. He was wrapped up in his cellphone, checking his email to see if his boss had updated him on the proposal. But then, the screen went static. When he looked up, he noticed everything around him was frozen in time.
Jack was confused — a feeling that intensified when someone appeared in front of him. Jack recognized the face. It was his own with only a few years and some stubble.
The older man spoke to Jack.
“Jack,” he said. “I know this is confusing. But something’s about to happen.”
Jack stood trembling. “Who are you?” he asked, worried he already knew the answer.
The older man smiled. “I’m you. From the future. Hopefully a different future than the one you’ll face.”
Jack stared uncomprehendingly at the man.
“I don’t have much time, so I’ll make this quick.” The older Jack folded his hands. “In 30 seconds, you’ll pass Alyssa Walker on this street. You remember her, don’t you?”
Jack tensed. He and Alyssa had dated for a briefly during college. To say it didn’t work out was an understatement.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” older Jack said. “I know how you must feel about what happened back then, but it doesn’t matter now. If you don’t talk to Alyssa when she passes you, you’ll never see her again and you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. I’m here to fix that. If you reconnect with her, there’s a chance you two could have the life and family you both have always wanted. If you don’t,” older Jack shuffled his feet. “Well, let’s just say that things won’t work out so well.”
Jack had no idea what to make of this, but something about this man’s demeanor convinced him he was telling the truth. He deeply wanted to see Alyssa again and had spent many nights wondering about what kind of a life they could’ve had together. Here was a chance to find out.
Older Jack started to fade away before Jack’s eyes. As he did, he said, “I leave the choice to you. Please, make the right one.“
Then time resumed and people were shoving past Jack.
Jack stood there, trying to process what had just happened, and then Alyssa walked up to him, appearing from the crowd.
“Hey, Jack,” she said warmly. “Long time no see.”
Alyssa had spent the last few hours since her warning came rehearsing her opening line.