the maximally hedged ask
wondering whether he maybe could have—or borrow and Xerox and promptly return by either e- or fax or First-Class mail, whichever they might prefer—some sort of relevant meeting schedule.
Context
Hal's first fumbling reach toward recovery, buried under so much hedging it can barely be spoken: not asking for help but inquiring whether he might borrow and photocopy a schedule, apologizing for intruding, admitting only that he had no one else to call. The secret quitter approaches the one door built for exactly his problem and cannot bring himself to name it as anything but a nearly-clerical favor.