Norwalk man goes viral after sharing how he became friends with strangers
He told the group he was added by mistake and was sad to be missing out on the fun. That night earned him the nickname 'New Guy'.
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A Norwalk man's Instagram post is going viral after he shared the story of how he formed a friendship in an unusual place seven years ago.
In 2018, Kendrick Constant received a series of text messages from a group chat he was added to. It was to finalize the plans for Brent Milner's 50th birthday. As he read the messages, Constant realized his phone number must've mistakenly been added. He was right.
Instead of leaving the conversation or remaining silent, Kendrick decided to make his presence known.
"The next day or two, we're sharing pictures from the party and telling stories. And finally, you know, Kendrick chimes in and says I don't know if you guys know, but I wasn't at the party. I don't think I'm supposed to be on this distribution list," said Milner, who lives in Utah.
That night earned him the nickname New Guy. Constant even photoshopped himself into their group photo to celebrate with them.
"I'm glad it happened, and I'm glad about what's happening now, too," Constant said.
Constant posted an Instagram reel last month sharing the story. As of right now, it's received more than 35,000 likes and hundreds of positive comments.
In the last seven years, he's formed a close bond with the Milner family, meeting up in person to hang out and get to know them, including Beck, Milner's son, who attends Yale University.
"You never know what's on the other side of the page. I think this is a great message. Such a great lesson for people to treat people the way that they want to be treated. To be open to new opportunities. You really never know what somebody is going through in their life," Beck said.
It's a lesson that the best of friendships can form in the most unexpected places.
"My mom has this saying. When you put your hand out, if you leave it open, you're leaving room to like allow someone to reach you, too. But if it's closed, it ends there," Constant said.
He and Beck hang out almost every weekend and play flag football together. Kendrick and Brent also talk on the phone often.
