“Mothers” is written from a first person point of view, and is set in the present. The narrator shifts from present to past (as well as the possible future, or the one she dreams about) multiple times throughout the story, seeming to reflect the back-and-forth feelings that the narrator experiences throughout the story. The name chosen for the narrator’s ex, Bad, was good foreshadowing for her actions in the story.
As for the future that the narrator dreams about, it is not hard to tell that it never existed, even though she wished it did. The child only actually appears after Bad leaves, and the narrator has to learn how to deal with it. It is very possible that the child symbolizes the relationship that the narrator had with Bad, encompassing both the positive and negative aspects of what they had. The narrator becomes so focused on this that she throws herself into a future that never was, almost completely breaking down towards the end of the story.
This comment was very insightful. I never thought about it as her thinking of the future she wanted, but would never get to have. If you think about it, it is almost as if the “child” has parts of her (the good moments) and Bad as well.