My espresso machine was in the repair shop and I had begun to despair of ever seeing it again until the very last minute, when an email arrived from International Plumbing and Forum Appliances Ltd, on Pender Street, Chinatown, Vancouver, where I had dropped off the machine three weeks ago. Dear Sir, it says:

I am writing from International Plumbing and Forum Appliances regarding the Breville espresso maker that you brought into repair. Our technician had looked at your machine and have the valve repaired and internal tube Cleant Up. Below is the video clips for your reference:

Based on the performance, we decided to return the unit to you. You can come pick it up between 9:3am to 6:pm from Monday to Sunday.

Please feel free to contact Derek or I if you need further information.

Thank you for choosing Forum Home Appliances!

Three video links inserted into the message are titled as follows: “One Shot,” “Two Shot,” “Water and Steam.”

Each video follows the format of “One Shot”: opening with an establishing shot of the Work Order with my signature clearly visible, and then tracking seamlessly up to the espresso machine (my old friend!) in full frame; here the camera lingers and a hand in a blue glove enters the frame: a finger presses the One-Shot button; The pump rumbles into action and coffee begins running into a cup. The hand in the blue glove leaves the frame and, as the coffee pours, the camera moves in for a closer look at the pressure gauge.

The effect is hypnotic and more than convincing. Possibly surreal.

My machine had come back to life.

In “Two Shot,” the finger in the blue glove pushes the Two-Shot button; in “Water and Steam,” two fingers twist the toggle switch to release steam and then hot water, in turn.

I ran all three videos several times.

I felt like dancing.

The videos “One Shot,” “Two Shot” and “Water and Steam” can be seen below.