A few things only stand the test of time

During a coffee conversation with an older man I heard him say (in Arabic) "they would be considered legally a man and a woman" only to mean by it "they would be considered married". I tried to rephrase his words in the context of the conversation, to find out what else he could have meant by it, but unfortunately for him -but more for me- he could only have meant it this way. I smiled, my way of repressing a loud laugh. He didn't understand. He smiled back and I thanked him for the coffee. The coffee aroma was still in my nostrils when I wondered thereafter that there is nothing such as a slow and gradual change. Sometimes, there isn't time. I will always enjoy the coffee he has to offer and smile, I thought, but one day, the flood will sweep him, his ignorance, and his coffee away. He will scream. He will long for a rescuing hand. He will beg. But I will turn away. He will curse then he will look me in the eye and I would read there "you are a traitor". I will understand but I will walk away with one thought: the scent of his coffee.