Peeling out of the driveway, you are a man on a mission.

    You drive recklessly at the van's top speed (45 mph) all the way into Boston.

    But then you reach the gridlocked enterance to the Sumner tunnel -- and it's already 9:30 AM!

    "Can't let Webster down!" you tell to yourself.

    After another minute stuck behind cars that just aren't moving, you get an idea.

    You swing the van to the right, bypassing the tunnel completely, and head right for Boston Harbor.

    You hope with all your might that Merv's past tinkering with your van pays off as you jump the barricade.  You pull open the glove compartment and punch the big blue button.

    The van splashes down into the harbor, but a series of expanded airbags around the side of the van keeps you from sinking.  An outboard motor pops out from the back doors of the van, and soon the van is making its way across the water, headed toward the airport.

    "Phew!  Thanks, Merv," you say.

    In no time you beat the traffic to airport and drive up onto the shore right next to the TWA terminal.

    The airbags automatically deflate, the motor comes back inside, and your van pulls up to the arrivals-gate moments before your good buddy Webster strolls out to meet you.

    "Thanks, Brad," says Webster, climbing aboard.  "I really appreciate this."

    He's looking awfully sharp these days, dressed in a designer suit, and sunglasses.

    As you drive away from the airport, you excitedly start to tell Webster about your ideas for the ad:

    "I've been gettig all these really cool ideas for the root beer ad," you say.

    "Oh, yeah?" says Web.

    "Yeah, see first you come out in front of the camera with a can of root beer on your head, and then from behind you, I--"

    "Actually, Brad, I uh... I think it's all scripted out already," says Webster.

    "Oh," you say.

    "Basically, I just come on and say 'It's sure got bite!' or something stupid like that."

    "Oh," you say.

    You think about this for a moment.

    "It's right over here," says Webster, pointing to the studio parking lot.

    "Sooo..." you say.  "What's my part?  What do I do in the ad?"

    "What?" says Webster.  "No, man... I just needed a ride from the airport.  I can handle the ad all by myself."

    You are crestfallen.

    As you pull the van over, the look of shock and disappointment does not leave your face.

    Webster senses this.

    "Aw, Brad..." he says.  "I...  I didn't know you thought I wanted your help with the ad...  I know I had you on my show once, but that was back in the day... Back when I was on top.  Back when Webster called the shots.  ...Now look at me.  I'm doing Barq's root beer ads so I can pay the bills -- or maybe it's some lame attempt at a comeback..."

    Now Webster, too, looks downright depressed as he considers his failed career.

    "Aw, Web..." you say.  "You're the best, man!  ...Everytime I watch an old episode of your show, I get this tingly feeling all over that tells me I'm watching a great actor doing what he does best: just being himself.  ...And it's not just me either.  Me and Merv are members of the Webster Fan Club of New England.  You've got a lot of people who really look up to you...

    "You've really made a lot of people's lives a little better just by being who you really are inside.  Now you just forget about me.  Brad Powell's gonna find my own way to fame someday.  You go in there and do that ad, and when it comes time to say your line, it doesn't matter what the script says.  You speak from the heart.  Cause that's the Webster I know.  Now go ahead in there, and tell the world you're back on top -- on your own terms."

    Webster wipes a tear away from his eye.

    He leans over and gives you a big hug.

    "Thanks, Brad," says Webster.  "You're a special guy."

    You give him the thumbs-up signal as he exits the van and walks into the studio with new-found confidence.

    You drive off, a bit surprised, but satisfied with yourself.  You were able to temporarily put aside your aspirations to help out a friend.  And not just any friend, but Webster.

    It's not until you get back home that you wonder whether he might have needed a ride back to the airport after the shoot.

    ...

    Several weeks go by, and the ad finally airs on television.  You put up with the ridicule from your family as Webster shows up in a root beer ad, and you are nowhere to be seen.  You could tell them the whole story, but they wouldn't really care.

    You take special pride that when Webster appears in the ad, he gives his own line, saying: "Hi, it's me, Webster.  Drink this root beer."

    It's a touching moment.

    And that ad is just the start of Webster's comeback.

    As official members of his New England fan club, you and Merv are privy to the latest information about Webster's several TV ads that follow the Barq's series.

    And the next fall, it is a truly triumphant event when Webster returns to television in his own late night talk show on FOX:  "World Wide Webster".

    You await his call to appear on the show.