MY opinion is that USUALLY they are indeed SENT close to instantaneously.
But there are two gotchas to watch out for:
Sometimes the hamsters get tired, and the message truly takes a while to work its way through the internets to get to the addressee.
It often happens that I’m texting someone, and we go back and forth instantaneously, and then, when the conversation SEEMS to have ended, one person closes their phone while the other is typing out one last message. The result is that the last message is not received for quite a while, when the recipient finally gets around to checking their messages.
Someone around here claimed texts were never expected to be used as they currently are - as instant messaging. I think they said they are basically shunted to the end of the line, and are transmitted when it is convenient for the system. Might be hiccups - especially at high volume times like holidays. As I recall, I had had problems trying to text with someone who used a different network. But I dunno.
And in case it affects anything, sister’s full response was more like:
Bike fixed. 9? Above freezing. (Prior commitment) at noon.
So, in that context, I guess I glided over the question mark. Seemed as tho she was aware of all of the factors and had made a choice. Maybe a little easier to ignore than if she had simply replied “9?”
But I readily admit that my communications are greatly lacking - both electronic and in meatspace. I’m trying to improve, and being able to get different opinions here helps.
That’s a thing. Whosoever shares the tale also is afforded extra leeway assigning blame. But I think Dinsdale has expressed that he understands his fault in the matter. Pedal on!