When Will I "Get Good" at this Stuff?

And by stuff, I mean rejecting men that I have absolutely no interest in whatsover without having to think about it.

Yesterday was a really stressful day at work, so I cancelled my lunch plans and opted to grab pizza at "the Soup Kitchen" while I revised a release agreement. Mr. Regular was there, and we exchanged hellos. Mr. Regular must eat at the Soup Kitchen a lot because I eat there on average twice a week, and he's almost always there when I stop by. A few weeks ago he introduced himself and a coworker to me since we see each other so frequently. They work at the same hospital a few of my friends work at, so we chatted briefly about that. Like I've said, I like the familiarity and community feeling in Macon, so it's nice that people are so friendly. I didn't think anything of the introduction, assuming Mr. Regular was married with a couple of kids (I'm not good about looking for wedding bands though). Since then we've smiled and said hello, but that's it. Note: Mr. Regular is a little shorter than me, overweight, and appears to be my father's age (55), although it's possible that he a little younger.

As I walked back to the office I was deep in thought and actually walking and revising at the same time when Mr. Regular crosses the street, speaking to me as he does so. I thought it was odd since Mr. Regular was coming from the opposite direction of both the hospital and the Soup Kitchen; he had apparently taken a stroll around the block near my office.

"Hey, we should grab lunch tomorrow."

"What?" I reply.

"Let's grab lunch tomorrow."

"Um I already have plans," I respond.

"We can go to Tokyo Alley," he says.

"Um, well I don't eat there, and I already have plans."

"Well, it'll be on me though," he replies.

"Well I don't care if it's free or not, I don't eat at Tokyo Alley. It smells bad [like a nursing home]." I say, feeling irritated and wondering what in the world is going on. Seriously. At first thought, I figured he just thought since we each ate lunch together today, we could eat together sometime. While I love to eat lunch alone and often intentionally do so (by sneaking out before someone can ask me to join them), I realize some people don't enjoy solitude. At this point, I'm really taken off guard. I have a million work things swimming through my head and am shocked that Mr. Regular, a virtual stranger, and I are having this ridiculous conversation.

"Well how about another day?" he asks.

"Well I'm slammed this week, sorry." I reply.

"Oh, well we can do it another time. How can I get in touch with you?"

Argh. "I don't have any of my cards with me, sorry."

Mr. Regular pulls out his cell phone to add my number to it. Not knowing what to say, I give him my office phone number (where we don't even have caller id).

I am so stupid, but I had no idea what to say. I was so taken off guard by the whole thing that I just gave it to him. Yuck. Then he tells me that he'll give me a call.

This whole thing makes me angry because now it's going to be weird at the Soup Kitchen (it's tiny) b/c of this, so I guess I'll just lunch later. This may sound terrible, but what is this man thinking? He's several decades older than me, not in good shape, and clearly trying to run into me on the street so he can ask me out. Anyway, who cares what he thinks, but what should I say when he calls?

I have such a hard time with stuff like this that I have to write it down and keep it by the phone to keep from just giving in and going out. My best thought so far is:

"You really caught me off guard the other day when you asked for my number. I don't usually give my number to people that I don't know, and while I appreciate the lunch offer, I've got a lot on my plate right now and will have to pass."

Any better (or different) ideas? This is the kind of stuff that makes me want to quit being friendly!