Almost a Woman

Esmeralda and her family prepare for her upcoming wedding to Jurgen, putting down non-refundable deposits. In their daily phone conversations, Jurgen reassures Esmeralda that he will give up his life of crime so they can move to Egypt, where he will be a pilot for an Arab prince. Esmeralda thinks it’s a strange coincidence that she played Cleopatra for so many years in high school, and now she’ll be moving to Egypt. As the date for Jurgen’s return draws nearer, Esmeralda worries that she doesn’t love him enough, and that she’ll be trapped in a foreign country with someone she barely knows. Two days before Jurgen returns, Esmeralda breaks things off with him. At first, she is embarrassed, but then she realizes she had to follow her instinct: “I saved myself, I thought. I’ve done something most women don’t do until it’s too late” (265).

Shoshana returns from Israel, and she and Esmeralda talk about their various love affairs. While looking for work one day in Manhattan, Esmeralda meets Ulvi Dogan, a Turkish filmmaker who says he wants to cast her in a movie. Esmeralda takes Shoshana to the audition, which turns out to be in Ulvi’s apartment.