All Done?

Awk. Short for awkward. So... When I'm sitting at the reception area at work, I deal mostly with checking students in and out when they come in to take their tests. When they come back to the front with their test I usually say something like "I can take that test from you" or "Are you all done with your test?" or sometimes just a brief "All done?"

This usually serves me just fine, and I rarely think twice about what I say when the student is handing their test back to me.

HOWEVER.

Sometimes, students come to the front desk and instead of taking their test right away, they ask if they can study for a few minutes and then take it. Which is fine. Just dandy.

And SOMETIMES, they come up to my desk and before even asking if they can take a test, they ask where the bathroom is. I point it out, and go about my other front desk business. Now, why would any of this be awkward? Where is this post leading? I will tell you. Because it has happened more than once that a student comes in, asks to go to the bathroom, and then stays in the bathroom for no joke, like 20 or 30 minutes. By the time they come back to start their test, I have forgotten their face and what they were here for, so my automatic greeting is "Are you all done?"

Awkward. AWKWARD. AWKKKKWARDDDDD.

And what's even worse, is when they look at me, and assume that I really meant it when I asked them if they were done, and they stutter a sheepish "uh.. yah."

AWK.