June wakes in the prescribed Handmaid’s bedroom, a stark, government‑issued space with a chair, a window seat, a polished wooden floor, an oval rag rug, and a framed watercolor of blue irises. She notes the missing chandelier, the partially opening shatter‑proof window, and the lack of glass over the picture. The room feels like a uniform guestroom; its furnishings echo the regime’s “traditional values.” She reflects on the need to ration thoughts, recalling Aunt Lydia’s army analogy.

June dresses in the mandated red uniform: a full ankle‑length skirt, gathered yoke, full sleeves, white wings that mask her face, red gloves she puts on finger by finger, and a red umbrella that hangs on a hat‑and‑umbrella stand in the hallway. She examines the hallway’s dusty‑pink runner, a Victorian‑style carpet, a grandfather clock, and a fanlight of coloured glass. A convex mirror at the end of the stairs reflects her red‑cloaked figure, likened to a “Sister dipped in blood.” She passes doors to the sitting room (where the Commander’s Wife may be) and the dining room, noting the heavy steps and cane of the wife.

She enters the kitchen, where Rita, the Martha, stands at a chipped enamel table in a dull‑green dress with a bib apron. Rita rolls her sleeves, kneads bread, and, after a brief greeting, pulls three market tokens from a drawer and hands them to June. Rita’s frown reflects her disapproval of the red dress, which she fears may bring disease or bad luck. Their exchange includes instructions for the tokens – eggs, cheese, a piece of meat.

Through a half‑closed door June hears Cora, another Handmaid, speaking with Rita about the Colonies, the Unwomen, and survival. Cora laments the harsh choices, mentions how they were once “tied,” and jokes about “better her than me.” June imagines sitting with Rita over coffee, sharing complaints about aches, backs, and bodily miseries, a rare moment of camaraderie among the women. She longs for physical contact, recalling Luke’s comment that “sororize” would be the feminine equivalent of fraternizing, and feels the strict separation enforced between Handmaids and Marthas. June pockets the tokens, resolves to ask for fresh eggs, and ends the scene aware of the fragile, controlled world around her.