Out of Synch

By Bridgitte Lesley

Donald looked at his friends. Even casually dressed they were so smart in their board shorts and T-shirts. He looked at himself. He wore tatty old cut of denims with a T-shirt that he had owned for many years. His hair was long and hung on his shoulders. He felt like an outsider. He realized that he had to do something about his image. He sat and looked at his friends. He heard the most desirable voice he had ever heard. And then he saw her. It was time to change. His decision was automatically made for him. He got up and walked away from his friends. Liezel walked up to Donald and started to chat. The things she said made sense to Donald. But he couldn’t quite understand how she understood how he felt. Donald made the decision to take matters in to his own hands. He went through a transformation in a day. Starting with a haircut. And then he bumped in to Liezel in the mall. Little did Donald realize that everything would change. Life was just about to begin.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bridgitte Lesley
• Release date: Apr 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311588296

Bridgitte Lesley

Hello from Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa!Having survived an attempt at being murdered, I have plunged myself in to my writing. After my gruesome ordeal, I live life from day to day. Appreciating every minute and moment. Yes, I have the scars from an axe being driven in to my head repeatedly. I suffer from PTSD and OCD. But, I am here to tell the tale. And I have a lot to tell!I am currently revamping my older titles and will be adding a few. In a nutshell, you will find a mix of romance, adventure, lots of witty banter and a happy ever after. All round, expect a feel-good read.Thank you for reading and for your support!Bridgitte

Book preview

Out of Synch

By

Bridgitte Lesley

Version 1

Published by

Bridgitte Lesley on Smashwords

Out of Synch

Copyright © 2012 Bridgitte Lesley

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only and may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Your support and respect for the property of this author is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or locations is purely coincidental. The characters are a production of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously.

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Out of Synch

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CHAPTER 1

Donald walked from his car towards the beach and sat down and looked at all of his friends. They were a jovial crowd. They had stuck together since their school days and were all in their thirties. Phyllis and Dean got up and stood and threw the frisbee. They were in hoots of laughter and having a good time. Donald looked around at all the couples. He was the odd man out. They all wore their board shorts and their T-shirts and he wore his tatty old jeans which he had chopped off just above the knee. He had worn the same T-shirt for years. His flip flops were comfortable and worn in. They all wore leather sandals. He really felt like the odd man out. It had never worried him before. But today it did. For some odd reason. It was the first time ever that he had looked at himself and made the comparisons. He looked down and stared at the sand. He needed to change. He didn’t know why. He didn’t know how. But he needed to change everything about himself.

Garth sat down next to him.

So how is Don? Donald nodded.

Living. Garth nodded.

So what is news? Donald shook his head.

No news. Garth nodded.

Man of many words.

Yeah.

Maybe you should take the time and join in with a little conversation. Donald nodded.

Don if you don’t speak they won’t speak. Donald nodded.

I don’t fit in.

Of course you do. Donald shook his head.

I know I don’t. Look at me. I am different.

What has brought all of this on? Just because you wear glasses. There is nothing wrong with that.

Not just the glasses. The everything. Me. Everything about me. Garth smiled and shook his head.

We know you Don. We accept you. As you are. Don the person. Nothing else. Nothing more. Nothing less. Donald nodded.

Garth got up and walked over to Mel and hugged her to his body. Donald looked over as Dean tossed the Frisbee and it went sailing. He heard the most beautiful voice and looked over.

Catch! He looked at the young woman. She was dressed in a perfectly cut white linen suit with walking shorts. She wore a T-shirt and her jacket sleeves were partially rolled up. She wore a pair of smart white canvas shoes. Her hair was neatly blow waved and she wore a touch of makeup. He looked at her and smiled. She laughed and picked the Frisbee up and threw it to Dean.

Thanks! She nodded and smiled. She turned and as she turned she looked at everyone and looked straight at Donald. She smiled and slowly strolled along.

Donald smiled as their eyes met and locked for those few seconds. He watched her walking for a while. Taking in every little detail and step that she took. He looked at everyone and got up.

Later. They all greeted and Donald walked off. He felt as if he was an outcast. He didn’t take the time with himself. He felt like a slop. He walked up to the bin and pulled his T-shirt over his head and tossed it straight into the bin. He heard the whistling and clapping. He turned around and chuckled and shook his head.

Garth smiled as he looked. Mel chuckled.

Does he not realize you males all want a body like that? He is in such good condition. He could have any woman swooning. But what does he do? Doesn’t give a hoot about what he looks like. Garth smiled.

You can’t change him Mel. Don’t even try. But he has realized though. He might just do something about it. Here is hoping. Mel smiled.

Such a nice guy.

Liezel walked along. She smiled and looked at Donald. He stopped as she walked towards him.

Oh my! Very brave! Donald chuckled and shook his head.

Names Donald.

Liezel. Liezel Marks. He nodded and smiled.

West. Donald West.

Body builder? Donald smiled and shook his head.

No. Liezel nodded.

Healthy. The shape you are in. Donald chuckled.

And the T-shirt?

A change.

Is as good as a holiday. They say. Donald nodded.

You don’t say much Donald. Donald nodded and looked at Liezel.

Not good with words.

Maybe you should try. He smiled and nodded.

Trying. Liezel nodded.

And why is your T-shirt lying in the bin? She picked it up out of the bin and held it in her hands. He looked at the T-shirt.

I. I. I look like. I just. Gotta go. Liezel nodded as he turned and started walking off.

Sorry I can’t get you to chat. Donald stopped dead in his tracks as she spoke.

A misfit. Lost. Because you feel you don’t fit in. I know how you feel. If it makes you feel any better.

Liezel slowly started walking off. Donald turned and looked at her.

What do you mean? How can you say that? She looked up and smiled and shook her head.

Look at me! He smiled.

You are beautiful. Beautifully dressed. Nothing wrong with you. She almost whispered.

Thank you. She nodded and smiled and walked off.

Donald walked to his huge four by four and hopped in. He watched as Liezel slowly made her way to the parking lot. He watched as she climbed into a yellow Ferrari. She reversed and put it into gear and drove off. Donald grinned and shook his head. He drove straight home. He changed into a pair of jeans and put a clean T-shirt on. He couldn’t stop thinking about Liezel. He wondered what she meant about what she had said. Feeling like a misfit. He wondered whether she felt like that. It had sounded that way. Did she feel as if she didn’t fit in? Donald smiled to himself. That was exactly how he had felt. She had made a huge impression. Her class and her style had appealed to him. He walked straight out of the house and made his way to the mall.

Donald walked in to the optometrist. That would be his first stop. The woman looked at Donald as he walked in.

How can we help?

Lenses. She nodded.

Contact lenses? Donald nodded. She smiled.

Come through please. Do we have a card for you? Are you on our system? Donald nodded.

West. Donald West. She nodded and fetched his card. He was not at all approachable. Donald took a seat and they did the eye test.

We will have to have the lenses made. It will take a few days. Can you fetch them on Wednesday? Donald nodded. He stood up and walked out of the shop.

He walked over to the hairdressing salon. He walked in to the salon and looked around. The woman smiled and walked over to him.

How can we help?

Styled.

You want a haircut and you want it styled? Donald nodded.

If you can go straight through to the basin. Donald walked over. He sat at the basin and the woman washed his hair. He got up and walked over to the chair that he was shown. The hairdresser walked over and looked at Donald. She spoke to him and looked in the mirror.

We are going to cut it all off. Are you okay with that? He nodded.

But I am not going to cut it too short. I am going to style it properly. Leave it a little longer. Maybe on your collar. The length will look good on you. Donald nodded. The hairdresser smiled and nodded.

And then I want you to realize that I need to see you every four weeks. So that we can give you a trim. Otherwise it is going to get out of hand. Donald smiled and nodded.

I will give you my card. Then you can phone in and make an appointment. Donald nodded. He sat and watched as the hairdresser started cutting. She finished off with a blow wave and every hair was perfectly in place. It took a while and he sat and looked at himself. He whispered.

Yes. The hairdresser smiled.

My name is Joy. You look much nicer now that it is all neat and tidy. You need to have a shave. Women don’t like all that fluff. Lose the moustache. You will look much nicer. Donald smiled.

Thank you.

He walked over to the desk and took out his card and paid for the haircut.

May I take your name so that I know who you are when you phone?

Donald West. The hairdresser smiled and wrote his name down. She handed him a card with her name on it.

Actually. I am going to force you into keeping it like that. I am making an appointment right now for four weeks’ time. I expect to see you Donald. He smiled. He gave the card to her and she wrote the date and time on the back of the card.

Donald. He nodded.

Noted. He walked out and put the card into his wallet.

Donald walked through the mall to the clothing store. He looked around at everything there was on offer. He walked straight out again. He walked over to the gents boutique. He could afford to buy decent clothes. Money was not an issue. He took a look at the golf shirts. The salesman walked over.

How can we help?

Casual shirts. He nodded and they walked over to the golf shirts.

Colors are in this season. The bright colors are very popular. The salesman took one off of the rack. Donald nodded. He took the shirt and walked through to the change room. He tried the shirt on and looked at himself in the mirror. It looked good on his body. He took it off and got dressed. He walked out and took one of each color. The salesman took the pile and put them on the counter.

Trousers. Casual. They walked over to the trousers and Donald looked at them.

You are going to need a black pair for sure. Donald nodded. The salesman smiled.

Are you going for a whole image change here? Donald smiled and nodded.

Yes. The salesman smiled and nodded.

Black chinos. You can wear them anywhere. You can team them up with all of those golf shirts. Donald nodded.

Then you need some decent jeans. Black and a pair of dark blue. Straight leg for you. Donald nodded. The gent handed him a pair of jeans.

Try these on so that we can get your size. Donald walked through and tried the jeans on. He looked in the mirror. They didn’t sag around his bottom. They were the perfect length. They fitted him perfectly. He changed back into his jeans. He walked out and smiled. The salesman smiled and nodded. Donald ended up with the pair of chinos, a pair of dark blue jeans and a pair of black jeans.

Board shorts. The salesman nodded.

We don’t sell board shorts. But I am going to take you to where you should go. And you need shoes. Decent boots to go with the jeans. Shoes with the chinos. And something casual for the beach. I can help you if you are prepared to tag along. Donald nodded. He paid for his purchases and he walked out with the salesman.

They walked in to a shoe shop and the salesman looked at everything. He chose a pair of boots, a pair of shoes and a pair of casual moccasins. Donald tried them all on and nodded. He paid for his purchases and they went to the next shop.

Donald ended up buying two pairs of board shorts and three smart T-shirts. He chuckled as he paid. They walked to the door. Mario smiled.

What about underwear? We may as well if you are going for a total change. Donald grinned and nodded. They walked back to the clothing store and Donald chose a pack of socks and a pack of undies. He paid for the purchases and walked out.

Mario smiled and shook his hand.

It was a pleasure.

Donald.

Donald. I hope this works out for you. If it is a woman. She will approve. The hair looks good. Did Joy cut it for you? Donald nodded and smiled. Mario grinned.

What about cologne. You know. Aftershave. Donald shook his head. Mario smiled. He took a trolley that stood outside a shop and put all the packages into the trolley.

Come. Donald smiled and followed. He ended up with an entire range of soaps, deodorant, aftershave, and everything that he needed.

Donald stopped and looked at Mario.

I don’t know how to thank you. For. For. Mario smiled.

Donald. You saying more than one word is thank you enough. You need to talk Donald. Say what you want. Communicate. Donald nodded. Mario smiled.

You have a wardrobe now. The only things we don’t have are dress shirts. Maybe a suit or two. Do you want to go and get one? Donald nodded.

I don’t. Uhm. He cleared his throat.

I don’t really go out to smart places. Maybe a casual suit. Mario nodded and smiled. They walked into a men’s suit shop. Mario chose two suits, shirts and ties that would complement each other.

The one is very smart. The one is casual. Smart is for when you go to a wedding. The casual one. You will feel when it is right. Donald smiled.

Can I get your number? Mario chuckled and nodded. He took out his cell phone and Donald took his. They exchanged numbers. Mario shook his hand.

Donald. Give me a call whenever you need help. Donald smiled and nodded.

CHAPTER 2

Donald walked through the mall and smiled. He slowly walked pushing his trolley and looked at all the shops. He looked up as Liezel walked towards him.

Hello again Donald. Donald? Donald smiled. She looked at his hair.

Oh Donald you look magnificent. Wow! Your girlfriend is going to appreciate that. Every cent that you spent was well worth it. She makes me feel so jealous! Donald smiled. He spoke very softly.

I don’t have a girlfriend. Liezel smiled and nodded.

Well give it a few days. You will have. And she will be beautiful. And you have been shopping. Donald smiled and nodded.

I. I. Donald closed his eyes.

I needed a few things. I need to smarten up. I know what I looked like. He opened his eyes and looked at Liezel. She smiled.

Donald. Don’t close your eyes. I know you feel insecure when you talk. You feel as if people are pulling strips off of you. Don’t feel that way. Donald smiled and nodded as he looked at Liezel.

Liezel smiled. He looked at her. He focused on her mouth and spoke. His eyes slowly moved to her eyes.

What did you mean? Earlier. When you said you know how I feel? Liezel smiled and