1 . Winter plunged Eastern Canada into a deep freeze. We sat at home, waiting for the COVID-19 cases to decrease and for the weather to _________. We all dreamed of what we would do when we could _________ go outside.

Each of us looked forward to something to keep us _________ the isolation: seeing friends, eating in restaurants, watching a movie at a cinema… My hope has quietly been gathering _________ in the garage since November. She is getting old, with more replacement parts than originals. But with all bike stores being low on new models, she is all I have.

On my bike, I’m _________, free from gas tanks or batteries; as long as I’m _________ and eating, I can _________ to the ends of Earth if I want. No obstacle is impassable. _________ roads mean nothing: there is a(n) _________ to weave between cars in traffic. This __________ of freedom means even more to me with the experience of lockdown.

Every few years I __________ a new ache or pain. I am starting to get __________. I can’t cycle as fast as I used to. But every time I encounter a hill, I don’t give up. I never want to __________ this sense of freedom. I’m waiting for that first warm day when the pandemic walls __________. I want to put on my __________ and for one brief, beautiful moment, be free again.