Yeah. Try calling again. It seems weird that a guy who offered to pay your cab fare was in no way interested in you. I mean, if he had just been amiable, that would have been one thing. But offering to pay for a cab was above and beyond.
Either he was sincere, and there is some problem with the number, or he was being insincere, and he REALLY went overboard with it. I’m thinking there’s a fair chance he was sincere, and something went wrong with the phone #.
Not to hijack the thread, just making a comment… also I’m not pointing fingers because I do the exact same thing without even thinking about it but isn’t sort of shitty that things like “big, fat ugly…” trip so easily off the tongue? And they are intended to support each other… big = fat = ugly.
Says something about our society, probably.
Hopefully it wasn’t intentional. It would suck if it is the wrong number by mistake, because it means that right now he is sitting at his computer, on some other message board, typing a rant about how you never called him back…
Regarding the phone thing, I’m currently without my phone because I forgot to send in the bill. Sad part is it isn’t the first time. I’m not even sure it’s the first time this year.
yosemitebabe: Yeah, exactly. That was part of the reason I was so steamed; he went so far as to offer to pay a hefty sum for my cab fare, then gave me a seemingly fake number. But yes, I shall take the advice given to me & try him again in a few days.
OpalCat: Yes, it would suck big hairy balls! 
Eh, I figured it was worth a shot. I agree with the other posters who said it was odd for him to offer to lay out the money for a cab if he wasn’t interested. Maybe he did key in the wrong number by mistake. If you run into him again, the mystery could be solved at that point, but right now I’m out of ideas. Anyway, here’s hoping it was a mistake and that he’s anxiously awaiting your call.
I don’t give out fake numbers, I just give out my home page URL. That way, the guy (or girl) can get in touch with me (my email addy’s on the site), I get one more visitor to my site, and I express myself better online anyway. It probably sounds like I’m turning 'em down, but I hate hate HATE using phones. Can’t hear a bloody thing on them.
I’ll echo the suggestion that his phone might simply have been off – my dad’s cel will say it’s not in service if he’s turned it off, or isn’t getting any reception.
Yes, it is shitty but I wasn’t trying to offend the big, fat, or ugly people. I hope those that fall into any of these categories don’t think I was.
Saying I’m a little skinny ugly liar is probably more accurate anyway.
This is why I never call guys. Them calling me is such a useful test. If they don’t, they’re either:
(a) uninterested
(b) lazy
© gutless
(d) disorganised/forgetful (if they’ve lost it) or at least I wasn’t that important to them
(e) dead
(f) comatose
in none of which scenarios I would want to pursue a relationship or friendship with them.
Hey, I know I’m pathetic, jayjay. I don’t need anyone telling me I’m not, because I know I am (and giving out the wrong number is the most minor of my pathetic behavior). I wasn’t fishing for sympathy; I was attempting to give the POV of Cosmopolitan’s suspected liar and humanize him a bit.
(I should say that I never flirt with people and I have a don’t-mess-with-me mein when I’m in public places. When someone flirts with me, I rarely flirt back. So it’s not like I’m leading someone along when I give out wrong numbers. Someone who can’t read my body language deserves to get a wrong number, IMevilO.)
That said, while I agree that this person (and me) shouldn’t have given out a bad number, I don’t think villifying this guy is called for. Some people can take honesty from strangers, others can’t. Personally, I would be heart broken if someone told me they weren’t interested. I would rather they lie. Yes, I know I’m a fool. But like the song says, I’m only human.
I think if the guy had told Cosmopolitan that he wasn’t interested, that would have put a pallor on her pleasant memory of him. While his number doesn’t work, she can’t be 100% sure that he intended it to be a dummy number. However, there would have 100% certainty of his not being interested if he had told her flat-out. I think Cosmopolitan should still have hope about the situation. Maybe she’ll see this guy again and she can say, “You know, that number you gave me didn’t work. If you’re interested, would you mind giving it to me again?”
I guess I’m the only one who gives out bad numbers sometimes. Because of this thread, I’m going to change my technique of avoidance from now.
Hee - I’m sorry, I know what you’re saying, but the idea of taking a cab from Jamaica is giving me the giggles. And I suppose it would cost someone a bit of money.
You know, reading monstro’s posts here caused me to have an idea I haven’t had before; people who give out wrong numbers may be trying to avoid confrontations. Not trying to justify giving out wrong numbers, but it would seem to me that if I didn’t want someone I don’t know to get upset and possibly yell at me or worse, I would give them a wrong number and not have to worry about someone getting mad in my face. Just a thought.
I, and I’d like to think most people, would rather have no hope than false hope.
Maybe he really did make a mistake.
I once gave a wrong number to a guy I was really interested in by mistake. I figured he didn’t really like me because he didn’t call. He figured I didn’t really like him because I gave him a wrong phone number.
Luckly the next time I bumped into him he was secure enough to ask me about it. The mistake was cleared up and we had a few really great dates. (Then he moved away, but thats another story.)
I’m with monstro here. Given the choices of having someone say “I find you completely unattractive and have no interest in seeing or hearing from you ever again” and getting a fake number, I’d prefer getting a fake number.
I just want to say that I am really sad I picked a boring screen name like Diane instead of something cool like Meka Leka Hi Meka Hiney Ho.
Oh, and I have given out the wrong number once or twice. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to get out of an awkward situation.
No one said you have to be totally tactless about it. I’d reather be shot down than lied to any day.
It annoys the hell out of me. I sometimes cook things I’ve never made before, or make up a recipe, and it’s always good. I know it’s not always good, and constructive negative feedback would be a whole lot more useful than being lied to.
How the heck do some of you get up the nerve to actualy /ask/ for a number?
(I just get names and do a directory lookup, but hey, thats me. 
)
don’t forget
g) dyslexic
h) blind
I have a friend so dyslexic he doesn’t ask for phone numbers—he always messes them up. And I had a really long and hot flirtation culminate in his asking and me writing my cell number and not getting a call. Two days later he hunted me down at work and asked why I gave him a bad number. He even produced the scrap of paper as evidence. I dialed my number and we listened to my cell ring…Oh, is that a 4? Looks like a 9. He flirted a little after that but never called.
Um…you say this like it’s a bad thing.
In line with the person who said they give out their URL, I give a business card to anyone who asks if they could contact me for whatever reason. I think I’ve maybe gotten one e-mail in four years or so… so it seems to be pretty good.
I try to be nice unless the person is just obviously hitting on me (which I hate). My site is businessy enough that it probably scares them off once they go home and find out a bit more about who they were talking to.
Then there’s the guy at Kinko’s who I gave my card to, then came home and wrote a journal entry about (because he gave me free copies). I wasn’t concerned with the cute guy, just the free copies.
He said he would e-mail me, but he never did.
Jinwicked,
After seeing your picture, I can’t understand why someone wouldn’t email you.