Wow! So sorry it took so long to respond, but it's been an eventful month. This got posted right after my 40th birthday, so I've been "celebrating" a lot more than I thought.
Thank you everyone for all your comments. This was the first science fiction story I ever wrote. I was surprised when it got picked up--I know how critical you guys get on the details.
I did get some help from my husband on the more technical aspects of the story.
This was indeed a story about obsession. I was vieing for an anthology that had a theme of stories based upon a song of one's choosing. The song I chose was "Circling Around the Moon" by John Mellencamp. It was also based on a thing I used to do back when I got my heart broken by a guy. I used to tell myself, "well, in an alternate universe, he and I would be happy and married with kids..." (the irony is, the last guy I tried with this I wound up marrying and just celebrated our 12th anniversary).
I am aware of the cookie cutterness of the worlds. It's a weakness I've recognized. The only way to stretch my creativity would be, uh, writing more stories. If only there was some magical elixir to speed it up... No? ::sigh::
Thank you, Mur, for buying it. I enjoyed the reading, and the great conversation that stemmed from it!
And now, for my next goal: ::sideeyes Podcastle and gives a long, slow smile::