Congrats on saving your Brom! Silly Walmart.
Bromeliads can and do form beautiful clusters of flowering plants. I never separate my pups out (unless I'm gifting or selling one). Multiple types of bromeliad keep the mother for a long long while after bloom, and by the time the mother fades, it has already been taken over by multiple beautiful new plants. I have multiple different varieties of bromeliad and I have never been disappointed by any of them. I consider them to be the phoenix of the plant world. Maturity, beautiful flower show, death, and rebirth all in the same plant. Always growing stronger and 'wiser' with each passing. I hope you enjoy your first plant! They are slow growers, but they are well worth the minimal care! If you decide to leave the pups attached, after a few "cycles" you hardly notice the wait, because the flowers do last for so long.