SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE IS THE SENTENCE WHICH U USE IN EVERYDAY LIFE.IT INDICATES WHAT YOU ARE DOING CURRENTLY. EXAMPLES- I PLAY BASKETBALL HERE THE VERB PLAY TELLS US THAT THE PERSON IS DOING THE WORK CURRENTLY
Assuming that you're talking about the passage about Joe Wilson and his mates, the inference that you can make is : The narrator was attracted to Mary.
You can see it on how the narrator said that his heart skipped when he saw Mary, etc
hope this helps
