He stared at her and she didn't age. He felt like that scared nervous boy from high school. Trying to say something funny but came off socially awkward. She told him about his husband. He respected that he did many bad things a home wrecker was not one of them.
A flashback that had taken him back. Many things he had forgotten those memories came back, he'd  remember things that got blocked out.
He was lost in the reality working to survive, creating to escape all the frustration. Asking what he truly wanted still pursue his dreams, even if they were a secret.