Dulce Karen Butay
March is here! The month when the year really starts moving … or at least when we realize those New Year’s resolutions from January are already in serious trouble. Gym memberships are ignored, diets are negotiating with desserts, and the phrase “I’ll start next Monday” has been used at least five times already.
In true Pinoy fashion, life keeps us busy. Work keeps us on our toes; family gatherings magically appear every weekend and somehow there’s always food involved. Whether it’s pancit, lumpia or someone insisting, “Just eat more, you’re too skinny!”—we all know resisting is not really an option. In Filipino culture, saying no to food is almost like breaking a family rule.
March is also that in-between month. Valentine’s chocolates are long gone, summer is peeking around the corner and we’re all wondering how the year is already moving this fast. But no matter how busy life gets, the one thing we Pinoys never run out of is laughter, stories and the ability to turn ordinary moments into something memorable. So as we step into another month, let’s keep the conversations going, keep the smiles coming, and of course, keep the food flowing.
Shout out to all the March babies! Happy birthday to Sharmaine Joleen Butay, Jovy Baguyo, Stacey Lee Baraoidan, Albert Cabiles Corpuz, Glenda Soriano, Monet Palacio Baniqued, Richard (Chad) Guiwa, Dustin (DJ) Metzler and Sharon Zalsos Banaag. Happy birthday in heaven to my dad, Jessie Butay and my sister-in-law, Juvylyn Butay. Pada-pada kam nga kumablaaw ti naimbag nga panagkasangay yo amin! (Happy birthday to all!) Happy, Happy birthday to you! (Tagalog) Maligayang bati sa inyong kaarawan! (Ilokano) Naimbag nga panagkasangay mo! (Ibanag) Makapagayaya nga aggaw na nikeyana mu! (Kapampangan) Masayang kebaitan queca! (Ilonggo) Masadya gid nga adlaw sa imo pagkatawo!
Let’s see what’s going on with our story this month and where Michael and Angel will be going next, shall we?
Finally, Angel speaks, her boses (voice) barely above the wind. “You know anni’ (what) my Nanay (mom) said after the call?”
Michael turns to her. “Hani (What)?”
“She said maybe love doesn’t always come in the right order. Maybe it just waits… until we’re ready to recognize it.”
He ngiti (smiles) then, the kind that reaches his mata (eyes). “Then I’m glad we’re finally ready.”
Angel squeezes his kamay (hand), her puso (heart) steady for the first time in a long while. Above them, the first stars begin to appear, scattered across the mauve sky—tiny reminders that even after darkness, there’s always something finding its way back to light.
The morning after their night at the overlook, Angel’s phone buzzes before dawn. The screen flashes with her Inang (mother’s) name.
Angel answers the phone. The first thing she notices is her mother’s look. Lena looks different—tired, watchful, as if every sound outside the window makes her flinch. The balay (house) is tidy but quiet, filled with the hum of secrets waiting to be spoken.
Angel notices it immediately. “Inay (mother), are you okay? You’ve been acting strange since our last call.”
Lena hesitates, glancing toward the curtains before answering. “I didn’t want to tell you this,” she begins softly, “but it’s time.”
Michael leans forward, sensing the weight behind her words.
“Years ago,” Lena continues, “I flew to California, I wasn’t supposed to stay. I came on a temporary visa to work, just for a few months, to take care of an elderly who was not able to walk anymore. But then I met people who said they could help me extend my papers. I trusted the wrong ones.”
Her voice falters. “The night I tried to leave … something happened. The man who was supposed to help me—he panicked when the police came. He ran. There was shouting, confusion and when they caught him later, he blamed me. Said I was part of it.”
Angel’s mata (eyes) widens. “He what? Inay, (mother) you didn’t—”
“I didn’t,” Lena says firmly, tears glinting in her mata (eyes). “But when the reports came out, my pangalan (name) was there. And I was terrified. I didn’t have anyone there. I thought if I turned myself in, no one would believe me.”
Michael’s throat tightens. “So you ran.”
“I survived,” she corrects gently. “For months, I’ve kept my head down, worked quietly, used my married ngalan (name). Then one day, I got caught and they took me in for questioning.”
Angel’s voice shook. “Who?”
“Some men from the government in uniform,” Lena says, lowering her voice. “One said they are investigating the case. That they want to clear the records … but they need to find me.”
Silence hung between them, heavy with fear and realization.
Michael looks at Lena, his voice steady. “I can only imagine, Mrs. Corpuz, what you went through. I wish someone helped you back then.”
Lena looks at him—really looks—and something in her expression softens. “You remind me of him,” she whispers. “Robert. Always wanting to fix what’s broken.”
Angel looks at her mother’s mukha (face). “I never knew, Inay (mother).”
Lena tries to steady herself, pressing her trembling hands together as if holding them tightly could keep the past from spilling out. But the sobs came anyway—deep, shaking breaths that makes her shoulders rise and fall.
Angel moves quickly to her side. “Inay … it’s okay,” she says softly, wishing she could place a gamat (hand) on her mother’s back. “You don’t have to say it all at once.”
After a moment, Lena wipes the tears from her cheeks with the edge of her sleeve. Her tingog (voice), when it returns, is fragile but determined.
“There’s more to the investigation,” she says. “The reason they’re looking for me… it’s not just to ask questions.”
Michael’s brow furrows. “Ano (What) do you mean?”
Anyways, that’s all I have. Keep an eye out for my column in every issue. I’m Dulce, helping you to master your Filipino Languages. Like always, let’s laugh, let’s makinig (listen), and Let’s Talk Pinoy! Hanggang sa muli! (Until next time!) Ingat! (Take care!)
Dulce Karen Butay graduated from Maui High School and received her Associate in Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Maui Community College. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, specializing in Accounting, from the University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu. She is currently the Administrative Officer at the County of Maui, Department of Finance. Butay is the owner of Maui Balsamic Vinegar and is a licensed Resident Producer of Life Insurance with World Financial Group and an Independent Consultant of Saladmaster. She is a part of Saladmaster’s Travel Club and won an all-expenses paid trip to Cancún, Mexico. Butay has traveled to Texas, the Philippines and Thailand as one of the delegates from Island Healthy Solutions, a Saladmaster dealer on Maui.