Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton have been getting together to celebrate Thanksgiving since 2016, and the unlikely friends from Arizona have confirmed that they will be keeping their sweet tradition going this year.
It all began when Dench, 65, of Mesa, accidentally messaged Hinton, who was 17 at the time and living a couple of towns away, inviting him over for Thanksgiving dinner. Dench thought she was messaging her grandson and was unaware that his number had changed. Hinton replied with a laughing emoji saying, "You not my grandma. Can I still get a plate though?" according to the New York Post.
"Of course you can," Dench replied. "That’s what grandmas do … feed everyone."
Every year since then, Hinton, now 23, has taken her up on the offer, and earlier this week he confirmed on social media that they will feast together again this Thursday.
"To answer all your questions, yes Thanksgiving year 7 is planned out! See you guys Thursday!" Hinton wrote in an Instagram post that featured a photo of himself and Dench.
The pair have also spent time together on other days, including in September when Dench got her first tattoo.
"I got three shooting stars. Each one represents my Guardian Angels in Heaven – my husband who stands for integrity, my mother who was courageous, and my father who was about unconditional Love," she explained in a tweet.
Dench also posted a video of her accompanied by Hinton while getting the tattoo.
"Got my first tattoo at the age of 65. Guess who went with me?" she wrote.
Hinton added that he had a great time tagging along.
"Go congratulate Wanda on her FIRST TATTOO!! We had a blast going with her!"
Fans have been following their friendship closely on social media and were delighted when Hinton announced last year that their story would be the subject of a new Netflix film. The streaming giant confirmed the news and revealed that it will be written by Abdul Williams, who is also behind "Lottery Ticket," "Salt-N-Pepa," "The Bobby Brown Story" and "The New Edition Story."
"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 statement. "We are so blessed to find a genuine friendship brought together by God from a mistaken text message."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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