“Can you help me?” is a full sentence. It doesn’t need a three-paragraph apology attached.

Asking for help is not an imposition that has to be paid for upfront with apology. The long preamble usually comes from assuming you are a burden, and it quietly makes the other person’s job harder, because now they have to reassure you before they can help. Most people like being asked. It means you thought they would know.

Next time you need something, send the ask with no apology in front of it. Say what you need and by when. Notice that the answer arrives just as warm, and probably faster.