A grandmother and a man who became companions after she accidentally invited him to a Thanksgiving dinner have now spent the holiday together for the seventh year in a row.
In 2016, Wanda Dench from Arizona texted the number she thought belonged to her grandson and invited him for the holiday - but the number actually belonged to then-17-year-old Jamal Hinton.
Rather than ignore the unknown number, the pair sent each other selfies, with Jamal replying: "You're not my grandma," before asking if he could still "get a plate" at the dinner. The sweet grandma responded: "Of course, you can. That’s what grandmas do… feed everyone."
Six years later on Thanksgiving 2022, the now-23-year-old shared photos standing beside the 65-year-old on their 7th holiday dinner and announced that the two had not only forged a lifelong friendship but are now business partners.
Check out the photos below:"Thanksgiving year 7! From year 1 as strangers to year 7 as family but now BUSINESS PARTNERS! I’m very thankful for my family, friends, fans," Jamal wrote, including a promo code for fans and adding a photo of the pair's BlackMP water brand.
The comment section under Jamal's post was filled with joy and excitement, with many users writing that they look forward to an update every year.
One user praised: "This story remains one of the best to come out of humanity!"
Another chuffed user commented: "So now I can officially go to sleep. Thanksgiving is complete. I hope you all had a wonderful day."
A third person chimed in and shared: "This has to be the most wholesome thing to ever go viral right? Like it's been seven years and the picture of these two still brightens everyone's day."
Lastly, a delighted fourth wrote: "I love them so much. Look forward to this update every year."
In addition to being business partners, Jamal and Wanda's viral six-year friendship has also inspired a forthcoming Netflix movie.
The young man announced on Twitter that the duo has a partnership with Netflix, and expressed their gratitude to everyone for their continued support.
According to Variety, the film - titled The Thanksgiving Text - is set to be written by Abdul Williams. It will recount the true story of how the two met - and how they've maintained their friendship and holiday tradition over the last six years.
"We are excited to share our story with the world. We hope it inspires more people to reach out and make connections that they wouldn't ordinarily make," the pair said in a joint statement to Variety. "We are so blessed to find a genuine friendship brought together by God from a mistaken text message."
Even at the height of the pandemic in 2020, both Jamal and the grandma figured out a way to continue their tradition. However, that year was difficult as Wanda's husband, Lonnie, passed away a few months earlier due to Covid-19 complications.
In an interview with Today, Jamal agreed that their bond will always continue out of the spotlight, saying: "I told her the cameras and the fame, everything could stop tomorrow, and nothing's changing between us."
"Absolutely. He’s in my heart for life," the grandma said, before revealing that he was even there when she got her first tattoo a few months ago.
"Matching tattoos next," Jamal added.
We can't wait for next year's update!
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