Ask Eric: When coffee brings a coffee date

Dear Eric: I recently met a friend who invited me to coffee with another friend. I don't care about the other friend because he is hostile to women. I didn't explain any of it and politely rejected the offer, but I thought that no explanation was required.

If this reappears, I owe this person to why I don't enjoy the other person's society? I don't want to paint the guy because it enjoys its company and it is completely nice, but I'm just not interested.

– coffee date

Dear coffee: It is absolutely okay to reject the invitation without an explanation. This other friend is not her cup of tea (or coffee, so to speak). This happens, and with informal run-ins and friendly, low invitations you don't always have to go into the why behind the decline. However, if this other friend is hostile to women, then he is not “completely nice”. If your friend has missed this aspect, you have the opportunity to point out that this situation should appear again. What your friend does with this opinion lies with you.