Her sister’s area code was 410, but Hankerson kept dialing 401 instead. Raised by Mike Moffitt in Rhode Island.
Hankerson apologized for accidentally dialing her number and immediately hung up, but she continued to call several times. “This continued to happen where he accidentally dialed the wrong number, but it eventually changed to call just to say hi.” Moffitt told CNN.
One day, Moffitt decides to stop and talk to her to stop calling her so soon. “I was like, ‘Hey, if you keep calling, let’s chat,'” Moffitt said.
Moffitt worked at a call center at the time and said being on the phone didn’t bother him. He explained to CNN that talking to Hankerson was like a breath of fresh air compared to his usual call.
It just so happened that that period in Hankerson’s life was tough—she was divorced and had just lost her son. “During that time, I was depressed, and he (Mike) felt my sympathy—and everything—uplifted me,” Hankerson told WPBF.
Around the same time, Moffitt had lost his grandparents, and Hankerson filled that void for her just as he filled that void for her.
Fast forward 20 years and their friendship is thriving. Moffitt said the two have kept in touch, talking every few months, but they had never met in person.
That was until last week’s Thanksgiving holiday, when Moffitt and his family were visiting Florida and decided to surprise Hankerson at their home in Delray Beach.
“The reason we ended the meeting was because a drawbridge was up,” Moffitt said. “We waited 10-15 minutes at the drawbridge, and finally decided to keep going. Then I realized we were 2 miles from Gladys’ house.”
After grabbing some flowers, Moffitt knocked on Hankerson’s door and was greeted with open arms.
“I went in and said, ‘Gladys, it’s Mike from Rhode Island!’ And he said, ‘Oh, my friend Mike! I’m blessed,’ and threw his arms up,” Moffitt said.
Hankerson gave Moffitt a tour of his home, introduced him to his family, and the two talked on the phone.
After all this time, Hankerson told WPBF, Moffitt feels like a member of the family. “I wish there were more people like this, you know,” she said. “It would be great. The world would be better too – the people would be better.”
,