This is 19-year-old Holly Freeman from Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Recently, when Holly was chatting with her dad, it came up that he's been having an ongoing Facebook conversation with a stranger who shares his exact name.
Apparently, Holly's dad, Anthony, got a Facebook message in late October from another man named Anthony Freeman. According to his Facebook, the other Anthony Freeman lives in Sierra Leone. They've been conversing ever since.
"When my dad told me he had made a new friend with his same name, I just didn't believe him," Holly told BuzzFeed News.
"...until he showed me the conversation between the two of them."
British Anthony pulled up some of their conversations β from the very beginning, when the other Anthony first messaged him, and said simply, "Hello namesake."
Over the months, the Anthonys have been making small talk about their local weather and politics, while sending each other well wishes. Holly was amused by it all, but ultimately thinks "it's a good friendship" they've built.
British Anthony described their friendship as "man love" and "a bond through our names." (The other Anthony has not yet responded to BuzzFeed News, but we'll keep you updated.)
Holly shared the story of her dad's new pen pal on Twitter, where it's garnered a bit of a following. Her tweet has been shared more than 13,000 times.
In bits that this African man with the same name as my dad has added him on Facebook and has been messaging him. My⦠https://t.co/B7FMUZUZCL
People were inspired by the spirit of the newfound friendship and all of the great quotables that came with it β particularly from our friend Anthony from Sierra Leone.
@_holly_freeman_ @m__ikey 'remain strong' is my new mantra.
@Ger1888Lundie @_holly_freeman_ @seanewa I love the 'convivial but firm' on the guys Facebook! π
@_holly_freeman_ @yecoolye 'just a bit enlightened' ππ
Someone joked about the thought of Anthony telling his family about it and becoming a viral sensation in his country.
@_holly_freeman_ hope he's sharing these exact screenshots to Sierra Leone twitter and also getting numbers
Holly said she hopes the two can meet in person one day.
@_holly_freeman_ This is so pure. πππ