Valiant Valenti

Spanning a ten-year period, this story follows SAL VALENTI, a middle-aged gay butcher from Brooklyn, who has a heart of gold. Sal runs an Italian specialty shop with his aging mother, MAMA, and it is after the death of Sal's lover that he starts to channel his energies into first, fixing broken alley cats that live in the shop's back alley, and then fixing broken people that he meets in his everyday life. It is through one such relationship that Sal develops with a shy, socially awkward, seventeen year old boy named, JOEY SALVO that we really get to see the heart and soul of Sal, as he mentors Joey and gives his life direction. Along the way a pretty young girl, LILA CRUZ, early 20s, rents the apartment above Sal's shop to escape an abusive relationship with her live-in boyfriend. Like all of the broken people in Sal's life he tries to help and heal Lila, and slowly over time she responds to Sal's tender approach...food and love. Just when all of the broken people in Sal's life start to get their lives going in the right direction something goes terribly wrong. One night Sal gets in the middle of Lila and her nasty ex-boyfriend. While trying to save Lila from his abuse, Sal finds he can't work his magic on him and lives are changed forever.