…the first few moments each time when we met and were overcome with passion, shyness, and the shock of being so disturbed by each other’s presence. We had even searched in our dictionaries for words to convey the specialness of our regard for each other. He came up with "cense," which meant to adore or cover with the perfume of love. It was a most appropriate word, and we used it over and over again.
| Edna O’Brien, from “The Love Object,” A Fanatic Heart: Selected Stories (FSG, 2008)
