The television set produced the only light in the room as my siblings and I sat curled upon the couch underneath several wool blankets. A massive winter storm had bombarded the region last night, leaving the city covered in a foot of snow. We held our breath and waited for the news anchor to announce the school closings. After several agonizing minutes, we finally heard the news we’d been waiting for: city officials had canceled school for the day. A jubilant squeal erupted from my siblings as they abandoned the warmth of the couch to tell our mom the incredible news.
Why does the narrator say that the minutes they spent waiting for the school closing were agonizing?