In Anthony R. Balista’s Memoir “Our Own Westside Love Story,” A Chance Encounter Leads to Enduring Love

Is it fate (the red string/thread of fate)? Destiny? Serendipity? or Yuanfen (a Chinese concept describing good and bad chances and potential relationships)? These words should come into the mind of the most discerning readers – romantics among them – when reading “Our Own Westside Love Story: With Words from Tony to Marie, Including Poems Born of Enduring Love” by Anthony R. Balista.

Tony, who was just three years divorced, was on military leave when he decided to check out the job market of his hometown, Warren, OH. He visited the town’s job placement agency. Manning the desk at that time was Marie; the owner was out sick, so she had to attend to Tony’s matters. After the interview, he, needing some company before returning to military duty, invited her to dinner, which she accepted. The rest is history and is shared in “Our Own Westside Love Story,” which was written ten years after Marie’s death.

Had the owner been around that day, Tony and Marie would not have gotten to know each other face to face. And it will just be another instance that they crossed paths at the same place and time – yet without the slightest encounter.

If they happen to be at the same particular place and even interact with the same particular people, they would not even come across each other physically. As Tony shares in Chapter 4: “A Small World,” “Over the years we discovered our paths had crossed many times in inexplicable ways to the point of almost being in the same room but never seeing each other’s face.”

Tony’s and Marie’s love story is one that tugs at the heartstrings of romantics who have been contemplating or exploring the role of fate, destiny, serendipity, synchronicity, and the like in love and relationship. One cannot help but gush at the happenstance of their first meeting, even when they had nearly encountered each other many times over the years.

As readers reflect on Tony’s and Marie’s love story in “Our Own Westside Love Story,” a well-known axiom should come into mind: “Whatever you are looking for is looking for you too.” Both had been divorced at the time of their first meeting and probably were on the lookout for a second chance at love (and marriage) – perhaps each other. Readers studying the aforementioned concepts would conclude that God (or the Universe) led them to each other, believing they were divinely appointed for each other.

Filing through the pages of “Our Own Westside Love Story,” the most discerning romantics would conclude that Tony and Marie were destined to meet each other but only at an appointed time; they were divinely appointed for each other but will first have to steer clear of each other and go through their respective life challenges before their first meeting – the fated meeting at their town’s job placement agency – would take place.

“We were overjoyed and realized that God had brought us together,” wrote Tony. “We knew from that moment on it had been our destiny to love each other.”

Readers would also love the few poems Tony tucked in “Our Own Westside Love Story.” The poems spell out his love and devotion for Marie, his soulmate, lover and friend of over 33 years.

“She was, and is, and ever will be the epitome of all good things God could have ever put into one living, breathing, human soul,” wrote Tony. “Our love shall endure through eternity.”

Anthony R Balista’s “Our Own Westside Love Story: With Words from Tony to Marie, Including Poems Born of Enduring Love” is available in paperback, hardcover, and eBook on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Book Details

“Our Own Westside Love Story: With Words from Tony to Marie, Including Poems Born of Enduring Love”
Book Genre: Memoir, Poetry
Author: Anthony R. Balista
Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
Published Date: July 9, 2024

Author Bio

Anthony R. Balista’s impact extends beyond his military and engineering career. He is a prolific technical writer, having penned thousands of pages of technical manuals, test procedures, specifications and electronic communication standards. He has four children and nine grandchildren and resides in Warren, Ohio. Anthony Balista’s “Our Own Westside Love Story,” a heart-warming and eternal love book, is the perfect read for romance lovers.

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