Love Like a Fountain

In a foreign country with nowhere to go, Kenan stood alone outside the airport.
In the dim dusk, the man was wearing a black coat of excellent quality, dragging a suitcase with one hand, half-smiling and uninhibited, and burst into Kenan's sight like a god descending.
This was her first encounter with Thoreau.
She remembered this scene for many, many years.
Is it "a person drinks water and is full" or "is like a person who drinks water and knows whether it is warm or cold"?
Time will tell.