Let’s Talk Pinoy!

Hello November! It’s almost the end of the year. As soon as Halloween is over, we get ready for the holidays. In the Philippines, All Saint’s Day is celebrated on November 1 to pay tribute to those deceased saints and martyrs who have gone before us. All Soul’s Day is celebrated the next day, November 2. We used to spend the day cleaning the graves of our loved ones, lighting a candle and leaving flowers. With the pandemic, that tradition has changed. There is a scheduled day for each baranggay to visit their loved ones in the cemetery. This is to prevent crowding that will result in clusters. In the U.S., there are two holidays in November. Veteran’s Day is on November 11. This is the time to honor all those who served our country—our U.S. Veterans of the armed forces and victims of all wars. Thank you for your service and sacrifice for the country. The other holiday is Thanksgiving Day. It is a day of giving thanks for the autumn harvest and other blessings of the past year. I hope you are not just thankful on this day but every day of your life. Start your day with a grateful heart. May this month be a special one for you as you enjoy all thirty days.

Let’s visit our friends Angel and Michael and see what’s going on with them this month, shall we?

“Where are we going?” Angel asks.

“I set up a balay (house) in the countryside that a kaluguran (friend) owns. We should be safe there until we can figure out anni (what) to do. The bahay (house) is the only one in that area. The neighbor is far away,” says Michael.

Angel looks at him with an innocence that turns into compliance.

“I will follow you until I cannot follow you anymore. Please God let my puso (heart) be right this time,” Angel whispers.

“Ano (What)?” Michael irritatedly questions. “Hani (What) did you say?”

Angel smiles. “Awan (Nothing), dear. Let’s alistuam mu (hurry).”

They walk to the sakyanan (car) hand in hand.

They load the last bag in the lugan (car) and dash off to Kahakuloa. A man sits in a sasakyan (car) snapping a few photos and steadily proceeds to follow them.

The kotse (car) is filled with silence.

Michael concentrates on his driving. He looks straight at the road, scared to look at Angel. As he makes a right turn on a corner, he can’t help but get a glimpse of Angel’s mukha (face). She looks worried yet she still has that angelic nawong (face). Her eyes are closed as if she is saying a dasal (prayer).

They are almost to the street of his kaibigan (friend’s) bale (house) when he notices a saken (car) following them. He doesn’t recognize the sasakyan (car).

“Who is behind us? Who could be following us?” Michael exclaims.

Angel opens her eyes and turns around to look at who was behind them.

“I don’t know a lot of people,” she says to him. Her kasingkasing (heart) starts beating faster. She starts to get worried.

“I will just turn around and mislead him in town. Are you hungry?” Michael asks her.

“My korason (heart) is beating so fast and all you ask is if I’m hungry? I’m almost going to have a heart attack here. Where are we going? Nanoyin (What) are you planning?” Angel asks worriedly.

“I have an idea. I have a plan,” says Michael with a smile on his rupa (face).

“It better be good,” says Angel with a series of emotions.

Meanwhile, Ray turns towards the hallway that leads to his office at the end.

“Ray!” Katherine shouts.

She jogs to him and clasps his arm. He stops while breathing heavily.

“Hani (What’s) wrong Ray?” she demands.

“Wala (Nothing),” he answers.

“Ray, I know when something is wrong with you. I have been with you too long to know that silly mukat (face) you make. The way your eye twitches when something is wrong. Now spill it,” she demands as she clasps harder onto his arm.

He looks at her and nods towards his office.

They enter and lock the pintuan (door) behind him.

Ray stands still while Katherine grabs a chair and sits down.

Katherine: “Anni (What) is wrong Ray?” she asks again with irritation in her voice.

Ray sighs deeply and slowly exhales.

Ray: “Is he in trouble? Why didn’t he tell me? He knows he can call me anytime…”

Katherine: “Who are you talking about? Your gayyem (friend) Chris? Or your nephew Mark?”

Ray: “Let me see my phone if I have a missed call from him.” He walks around his desk and grabs his cellphone from his drawer. He sits on his chair and slowly reviews his missed calls. “Hindi (No), he didn’t call me at all!” he exclaims.

Katherine: “Who are you talking about?” she shouts.

Ray: “Mickey!” he yells.

Katherine: “Michael? Oh, your guapo (handsome) nephew … ano (what) did he do? He is such a quiet and smart man, why would he be in trouble?

Ray: “Let’s find out,” he dials the phone to call Michael but to his dismay, it goes to voice mail right away. It’s so quiet all you can hear is Ray’s puso (heart) pounding

Katherine: “Try again!”

Ray: “I am!” He dials again but it still goes straight to voice mail.

Ray: “Arrgh! Let me call my brother!” He looks up his brother’s name and presses the call button. He holds his breath while waiting for him to answer.

Bzzzz … bzzzzzzzzz …

Thom answers the phone. “Hello?”

Ray: “Hey bro, is Mickey home?”

Thom: “Indi (No), he wasn’t here when I came home last night. Then I went to bed early. I was hoping I could catch him this morning but it seems he has already left. I was going to discuss something with him about a big case the DEA asked me to handle. Wait, did you call him?”

Ray: “Yes bro, but it goes straight to his voice mail.”

Thom: “That’s strange. He usually answers his phone. Let me ask my wife.”

Ray could hear Thom on the phone asking his wife.

Thom: “Did you see Michael last night? How about this morning? Did you call him?” Then there’s a muffled voice that Ray could not hear or understand.

Thom: “Ray, I have to call you back. His mom was able to reach him.”

Ray: “Can you tell him to call me? I want to show him something.”

Uh, oh…Michael’s family is looking for him now. How is he going to face his family? Will he tell them about Angel? Will he leave Angel to face her own problems?

Keep an eye for the next issue. Please visit us on our facebook page and leave us a comment or ideas at www.facebook.com/Fil-AmVoiceMaui.

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 was 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 a licensed Resident Producer of Life Insurance with World Financial Group and an Independent Consultant of Saladmaster. She is now 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 here on Maui.