Her Heart is as Black as her Eyes by Anastasia Tarasenko

Everyone who has ever worked with Caroline Black

can say that she intimidates them. It is not because of her appearance; someone might even say she is gorgeous. Anybody ever sees her in white or pink; this woman prefers clothes of dark tones because they complement her dark beauty. Ms Black has short straight dark hair, a fair complexion, and thin lips, which she always colours in bloody red. She is lovely, but her eyes, her eyes are dark as they were black holes which take everything nearby them and obscure all light of the world. Her colleagues and employees usually try not to look at her eyes because not everyone can endure her gaze. They said her heart is the same colour as her eyes. Besides, her employees say that they are frightened by her. She demands a lot from them, and they try to do everything as good as possible to please her.

The results of her department are always impressive and excellent, but the price is high. She comes to the office early and leaves late at night, although the workday starts at 9 a.m. and finishes at 6 p.m. The personnel have to come to work earlier to show their responsibility and dedication. However, when she is outside the office or on a business trip, they can relax and work at comfort for pace.

Caroline says unpleasant facts directly, without any mercy. The majority of employees who go out of her office burst into tears, especially men. All these men, who seem tough and cold, exit her room, crying like a hungry newborn with a toothache. However, the female workers cannot also say she is nice to them. Their boss shows their drawbacks but does not offend them. Despite insults, everyone doesn’t want to quit this job because of the high salary and fear of awful recommendations.

But nobody knows why Caroline Black behaves in that way, why she is always at work, and why she hates men. When she was in her twenties and wore long blond hair and a cheerful smile, she fell in love with Mike Hannes. Caroline thought he was the most handsome and kindest guy she had ever seen before. They started dating, and she was in the seventh heaven. She would do everything for him, everything he want. “Oh, you want me to lose weight, of course, I’ll go to the gym”. “Oh, you want me to quit this job, of course, I’ll do it. “Oh, you want me to cook for you every day because you don’t want to eat yesterday's food. Surely, I’ll cook for you something. By the way, you know that it is unhealthy to eat a not fresh meal”.

Caroline thought they were the perfect couple. They were together for a year, and he might have been planning to propose to her. And after a year or two of their wedding, they would have a baby. However, she got pregnant even before the proposal. Caro, as her boyfriend called her, was happy. She would have a baby, and it would be the most beautiful chubby baby in the whole world. She would tell Mike about pregnancy when he returned from a business trip, she surely did. However, this happened before his return. Pain. Blood. Hospital. And diagnosis: miscarriage.

She was broken. Their baby, their beautiful baby, passed away. When Mike discovered about the miscarriage, he immediately came to her. She felt loved, and the pain slowly went away. “Yeah, our baby is gone, but at least I have Mike”. And a true miracle happened. She expected a child again. Oh, how lucky she is to get pregnant just after a miscarriage. Caroline said to Mike that she needed to go shopping but went to the hospital for confirmation. The doctor said, “Congratulation, ma’am, you are pregnant”. She came home and heard laughing. She went upstairs and saw Mike, her loving and caring Mike, with the other woman. Caroline was speechless about how he dared to do such things for her after their loss. How dared him?! Eventually, the mistress saw Caro and screamed, and then Ms Black saw another side of Hannes she never knew – cruel, rude and violent. And again pain, blood, hospital, and diagnosis: miscarriage; compound fractures of bones: upper and lower limbs and pelvis; injuries of abdomen; and infertility.

Now Ms Black is a successful businesswoman who lives alone in a large modern apartment. She is always at work because she hates being home where nobody waits for her. Caroline cannot even get a pet because of her work and extended numerous business trips. After M.H. (she cannot hear and pronounce this name), she has never been in relationships again, only casual affairs and nothing more. This woman has not got any friends because she is afraid of betrayal and hates men. She sees them as stupid, vicious, and dull creatures, unworthy of everything good. Her work is her only child, and she hates when someone can hurt them or lead to the collapse. Because of it, especially her male employees are often offended and even dismissed. She is successful and powerful but is she happy? No, she isn't, and she won't ever be happy. She does not need happiness. Caroline has completely lost trust in humans, and all she needs now is to revenge on them. Her job, her only child, is now a convenient way to get her revenge.