Dulce Karen Butay
Summer is over and the excitement of a new school year begins to fill the air. Back-to-school season is a time for fresh starts, new opportunities and renewed motivation. Students return to classrooms ready to reconnect with friends, meet new teachers and take on new challenges. It’s a chance to set goals, develop new skills and embrace the journey of learning. Parents and students are getting ready to pack their backpacks and all the school supplies on the list. The year ahead is full of possibilities waiting to be discovered. Here’s to making the most of the year ahead!
Big birthday cheers to all our August stars—and an extra sprinkle of confetti and extra hooray to: Jesus “Jun” Butay, Jr., Edward Evangelista, Omar “O” Lascano Lugtu, Adrienne Kawano, Gail Fujiwara, Vanessa Kate Erin Galiza, Sean Matthew Impelido-Butay, Joey Macadangdang, Adrian Chris Delos Santos, Gene Alvarez, Juvs Macadangdang and Jacinta Tumacder Idica.
Happy, Happy birthday to you! Maligayang bati sa inyong kaarawan! (Tagalog) Naimbag nga panagkasangay mo! (Ilokano) Makapagayaya nga aggaw na nikeyana mu! (Ibanag) Masayang kebaitan queca! (Kapampangan) Masadya gid nga adlaw sa imo pagkatawo! (Ilonggo)
Though she is not here, her spirit still dances in the rhythm of our hearts. Wishing a heavenly birthday to our beloved Nana Catalina Evangelista.
Let’s see what’s going on with our story this month and where Michael and Angel will be going next, shall we?
Maribeth and Julia walk to the room. Maribeth calls her Inahan (mother) and says, “Nanay (mother), Angel is asking for you!”
Lena starts to sob and says, “Thank goodness you are alive, ing anak ku (my child)! We were so worried! I hope you are safe!”
Angel’s eyes flutter close as emotions creep in.
Flashback of what happened at the airport brings back her memories. It seems like yesterday. Tears start to roll down her cheeks.
“Angel …” a familiar voice—soft, trembling—cuts through the haze. Angel’s mata (eyes) snap open. She exhales sharply, blinking away tears.
“Tatay (Father).” The word cracks in her throat, breaking apart between sobs. Her chest trembles as she reaches for him with unsteady fingers, “I’m here, Itay (father),” she whispers again, her voice a fragile thread holding everything together.
From the side, Lena’s quiet sobs tremble through the air. One kamay (hand) presses to her chest, the other gripping the chair as if to anchor herself. “We’ve missed you so much,” she manages, her voice raw and unsteady. “I was scared … I thought we’d lost you.” The last word breaks completely, her shoulders shaking.
“No, Inang (mother,” Angel says with a gentle ngiti (smile), “I will always find my way back to both of you. No matter the distance … no matter what it takes,” she murmurs, voice soft but certain.
Her amahan (father) leans forward, his nawom (face) filling the camera frame and says, “Anak ko (my child) …” the single word carries months of longing, worry and love. He leans forward, “You’ve grown stronger than we ever imagined. We are so proud of you.”
Angel’s lips quivers, the weight of their worlds pressing deep into her chest. “I learned it from you,” she whispers. “From both of you. All those lessons, all those times you told me to keep going … they stayed with me.”
For a long moment, no one spoke. The faint crackle of the call was the only sound, the silence heavy but not empty—full of everything they couldn’t yet put into words.
Finally, Lena exhales shakily, her sobs softening. “Are you doing fine there, akon anak (my child)? When you come home,” she says, voice trembling but filled with hope, “we’ll make adobo … just the way you like it. And we’ll sit together at the table, all of us, together again.”
Angel closes her mata (eyes) briefly, imagining it—the smells, the laughter, the warmth of their kamay (hands). When she opens them again, her pahiyum (smile) had steadied. “I’ll hold you to that, inahan (mother).”
“I am masaya (happy) to see that you are safe, ing anak ku (my child). We are always thinking of you,” Lena says with an isem (smile).
Angel was about to say something when she hears a loud knock from the puwerta (door).
Knock … knock … knock …
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.