Being There

Chance fills a suitcase with the Old Man’s clothes, which are expensive and well-tailored, and steps outside the gate for the first time. Chance is surprised that he recognizes everything he finds in the outside world from TV. Things are bigger and brighter than they appear on the small screen, but they feel familiar.

It is sunny, and he feels hot and uncomfortable as he carries his heavy suitcase down the block. While he is standing by the curb, a black limousine backs into him, pinning his leg against a parked car. The driver and passenger rush to see if he is alright. The passenger is a beautiful woman who introduces herself as EE. She is worried that Chance’s leg is badly injured and convinces him to come home with her and be seen by a doctor. Her husband is ill, and their doctor is on hand. Chance agrees.

Despite the pain in his leg, Chance is calmed when he finds there is a TV in the limousine. The woman tells him that EE is short for Elizabeth Eve and that her husband is the financier, Benjamin Rand. She asks Chance about his family and contacts and is surprised when he says he has none.