Parallel worlds

In the only hospital in Newtown, with only 27 seconds separating them, two boys are born.

Ray Lawrence to the Lawrence family and Troy Saxon to the Saxon family. When Ray is handed to the mother, the Nannie Jennifer is there ready to assume her duties. In a room in the public wing, Troy is given to his mother who is barely 20 years old and after having had a brief glance at the boy tells the nurse to take the boy away.

Ray Lawrence with mother and father, and Nannie leaves the hospital in the chauffeur driven Jaguar only three days after birth, Troy and mother stays the full week so his mother can regroup before they go home to their family. Ray is a planned child, the first born, Troy is unplanned and number three.

Ray's room in his new home is filled with colourful toys, walls painted in soft cobalt blue, and with big windows letting in the sun and the wonderful view of the garden. Troy will sleep in a cot that has already seen two boys become toddlers, he will share room with his two brothers and the only natural light in the room comes from a small window with a view of the next block of units. The walls have wallpaper buckling from the damp and there's a funky smell in the room.

At four years old Ray is enrolled in the best pre-school in Newtown, Troy is enrolled at the closest pre-school to his block of units. At six years of age Ray can recite Shakespeare, at the same age Troy knows what to say when welfare comes to check up on them. Ten years old and Ray enters a spelling competition, ten years old and Troy can't spell, finds reading boring and discovers cigarettes. Ray's father takes him on a fishing trip, just the two of then at age 11, Troy at 11 learns how to avoid his stepfathers blows. When Ray finishes high school with honours, his parents give him a car as a reward, Troy, though with almost failing grades, also manages to graduate high school, and as a reward his mother buys him a six pack and four packets of  cigarettes. Ray enters college to study law, Troy starts to look for work. Ray is popular at college and has many friends, and on the breaks he goes abroad and every Christmas he enjoys r&r with his family who adores him. Troy knocks on every door he can think of, but he cant find any work. He wants to leave home but cant afford it. He feels disturbed at home by his siblings constant squabbling and his mothers drunken outbursts, so he starts to go to the Pub just for a bit of peace. At the age of 26 Ray Lawrence has his first case in court, Troy Saxon stands before him on a charge of "Drunk and Disorderly".

What if the roles would have been reversed?