<p><strong>For an instant you think it is temporary blindness, this sudden dark that comes in the middle of a bright afternoon.</strong></p><p>It <em>must</em> be blindness, you think; could the sun that was tanning you have gone out instantaneously, leaving you in utter blackness?</p><p>Then the nerves of your body tell you that you are <em>standing</em>, whereas only a second ago you were sitting comfortably, almost reclining, in a canvas chair. In the patio of a friend's house in Beverly Hills. Talking to Barbara, your fiancee. Looking at Barbara -- Barbara in a swim suit -- her skin golden tan in the brilliant sunshine, beautiful. . . .</p>